João Carlos de Oliveira

João Carlos de Oliveira

Personal information
Born	May 28, 1954 Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil
Died	May 29, 1999 São Paulo, Brazil
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing  Brazil Olympic Games 1976 Montreal Triple jump 1980 Moscow Triple jump Pan American Games 1975 Mexico City Long jump 1975 Mexico City Triple jump 1979 San Juan Long jump 1979 San Juan Triple jump

João Carlos de Oliveira, also known as "João do Pulo" (born in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil May 28, 1954 – May 29, 1999 in São Paulo, Brazil) was a Brazilian athlete who competed in the triple jump and the long jump.^[1]

Born in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo De Oliveira won two Olympic bronze medals. His personal best of 17.89 metres, set on October 15, 1975 in Pan American Games, stood as the world record until 1985. As of today, it is still in the top twenty of all-time best results in the event.

In 1981, he was in a car accident near São Paulo in which he lost one leg. Afterward, he became a vocal advocate for the rights of the disabled. He died in 1999 from complications of alcoholism.

Controversy in Moscow

The dispute in the triple jump in 1980 in Moscow was covered in controversies regarding favoritism to athletes of the house by Soviet judges. Olympic triple champion Viktor Saneyev and his compatriot Jaak Uudmae were the country's athletes in the race. John, world record with the mark before unattainable of 17.89 m, conquered in 1975 in Mexico City Pan American Games was the biggest adversary of the two athletes home.João has had two jumps decommitted during the dispute by the Soviets judges and one considered by international analysts as new world record over 18 meters; the same observers considered the two perfectly valid jumps. The intention, according to critics, was to a quarter and inedited Olympic title Saneyev, then Olympic triple champion of the sport. even so, Saneyev was only with the silver - 17.24 m - being overcome by Uudmae - 17.35 m - and Joao took the bronze of one of its smaller jumps validated, 17.22 m.

In the time the Latvian coach Uudmae, Harry Seinberg, came to confess, in informal conversations, that João marks had been changed to favor the athletes of the house, but never confirmed his assertion to the IAAF or the IOC. Only in 2000, twenty years after the Moscow Games, the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia's largest, has made a major report demonstrating that annulled the Brazilian jumps were part of a Soviet operation to give the Olympic tetracampeonato the Saneyev. The plan did not work out because the best Uudmae jump but even then the gold medal went to the USSR.

References

Records
Preceded by Viktor Sanyeyev	Men's Triple Jump World Record Holder 1975-10-15 – 1985-06-16	Succeeded by Willie Banks
Awards
Preceded by Muhammad Ali	United Press International Athlete of the Year 1975	Succeeded by Alberto Juantorena