The athlete was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit

Nelson Évora, the recent gold medalist in the triple jump in Berlin, European champion and national pride, was this Monday received by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who awarded the lion, together with Inês Pereira Henriques, European champion in 50km march.

The ceremony at the Palácio de Belém began with a brief speech of the President. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized the merit of the athletes and thanked them for "believing in what they are and what they can achieve, not to give up on more ambitious goals, to combine work, consistency and humility". He emphasized, leaving an appeal: "These are qualities that should be a lesson to us all. We need more self-esteem, greater ambition, a lot of consistency, and humility", he finished.

Nelson Évora was awarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. He was accompanied by Artur Torres Pereira, President of the Management Committee and Carlos Silva, technical director of Sporting CP athletics. The Portuguese hero said that "It is undoubtedly a great honor to receive this award. Any athlete, when he starts his career, has many dreams, but he can never foresee that this day will come. I am happy for this step and for continuing to honor all the Portuguese", he began by saying, then answering the reason why he had never accepted such a distinction.

"After everything I went through, I felt it was not the ideal time. I did not have easy days, which were divided between the public's sympathy versus the relationship with the press, which was not good. So I figured I'd have to keep working to feel it was the right time to do it. The day has come, but that does not matter now. What matters now is that I have been awarded and I am very satisfied ", explained the athlete.

Alvalade triple jumper in good form in outdoor season opener

Patrícia Mamona made her 4th best career jump this week, with a distance of 14.42m (just 23cm off her national record) in the Rome Diamond League's triple jump competition.

It was a fine start to the outdoor season for Mamona, who has only jumped further on three occasions: The Rio 2016 Olympic Games (14.54m), the 2016 Amsterdam European Championships (14.58m) and the 2012 Helsinki European Championships (14.52m).

Duo dominate sprint and shot putt events

Lorene Bazolo has been unstoppable in the sprinting world recently. After winning the 100m and 200m events in Palafrugell last weekend, the sprinter claimed gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m in the Salamanca meeting this week.

Meanwhile Marco Fortes was also in fine form in the shot putt event, winning with a distance of 18.44m.

In the 400m hurdles Andreia Crespo claimed the top podium spot with a time of 59.23s.

Sporting CP athlete claims first international marathon win of her career

The Sporting CP athlete Jéssica Augusto won the Hamburg Marathon this weekend, covering the distance in a time of 2:25.30.

It was an historic achievement for Augusto, representing her first win over the distance in 11 attempts.

Jéssica dominated from start to finish, fending off Megertu Ifa to win by a margin of 4:17.

Sporting CP athletics technical director Carlos Silva was on hand to reflect on the result "We are really happy. It was the first time for Jéssica in an international event. The weather didn't help, but it was still an amazing result."

Also in action was Sporting CP's José Moreira, finishing the male event in 20th.

Iberian Trophy this weekend in Huelva

Saturday will be a long day for Sporting CP's athletes, with Huelva hosting the Iberian Trophy where Portugal will take on Spain. Representing Portugal are 11 athletes, six in the male competition (Bruno Albuquerque, Hélder Santos, António Silva, Hugo Correia, Miguel Marques and Jorge Moreira) and give in the female competition (Sara Moreira, Daniela Cunha, Ana Ferreira, Susana Godinho and Sandra Teixeira).

Sporting CP athletics chief Carlos Silva spoke with the Sporting Journal ahead of the event, affirming his confidence in a good result: "Everyone will look to set god times, or to get close to qualification for the World Championships in the case of Sara Moreira. Everyone will be using the Sporting CP shirt, but of course they are representing Portugal and that always gives a bit of extra motivation."

Rabah Aboud and Catarina Rodrigues in action in Uganda

Sporting CP again took part in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships this week, this time in the Kampala, Uganda. Rabah Aboud finished in 44th overall, with a time of 30.48 minutes, while Catarina Guerreiro (under-20) was unable to finish.

Alvalade athlete tops to podium in well contested Algeria championship

Alvalade athlete Rabah Aboud topped the podium at the Algeria Cross-Country Championship this weekend, after dominating the 10km distance in Sidi Bel Abbès.

"This victory is the compensation for the work I have been putting in. It was a really strong pack against me today, so I pushed the pace right from the beginning. Now I have a bit of time to prepare for the World Championship. I want to thank Sporting CP for the support that the club has given me", said Aboud at the end of the competition.

Sporting CP athletics technical director was also on hand to comment: "It is a fantastic result. Rabah Aboud won the title against a group of really high quality athletes and this gives him a place in the Algeria team."

Nelson Évora ready to jump even further, despite claiming gold

Even with the gold medal around his neck, Nelson Évora was not completely satisfied at the conclusion of the European Indoor Championships.

"I had a good competition, but I was expecting to jump further and I think I can. What matters in these competitions though is winning", said Évora, adding: "I have never managed to win such an important competition twice, so it is obviously really special for me. I always take a bit of sand with me from the sand box after every competition and I will keep it with my medal."

Alvalade athlete dominated triple jump competition to top the podium

Nelson Évora surprised the pack this weekend with a fantastic performance in the European Indoor Championships triple jump competition, claiming gold with a massive distance of 17.20m.

The medal adds to a large collection already accumulated by Évora, which includes a World Championship (2007) and Olympic gold (2008).

Évora's first jump was invalid, before clearing 16.92m on his second attempt. However it was his distance of Nelson Évora that put him well clear of the rest of the pack.

Alvalade athlete just 5cm from topping the podium in Belgrade

Just 5cm seperated Patrícia Mamona from gold in the European Indoor Championships triple jump event this weekend, with the Alvalade athlete's 14.32m only bettered by Germany's Kristin Gierisch.

Meanwhile in the 60m event Lorene Bazolo qualified for the semi-finals with a time of 7.49s and will next be in action on Sunday.

Also in action in the 60m event was Ancuiam Lopes, who was unable to move beyond the semi-final stage after setting a personal best.