2016 Rio Olympics - Athletics - Final - Men's Pole Vault Final - Olympic Stadium - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 15/08/2016. Thiago Braz da Silva (BRA) of Brazil reacts after setting a new Olympic record on his way to winning the gold medal. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Thiago da Silva won Brazil's first athletics gold of their home Games on an extraordinary, unforgettable Monday night in Rio, producing an Olympic record of 6.03 metres in the pole vault to beat hot favourite Renaud Lavillenie and send the fans into raptures.
A roar to match anything from Sunday's 100 metres final - produced by a crowd a quarter of the size - accompanied the 22-year-old as he sailed over the bar, leaving the French world record holder and defending champion one more chance to beat him.
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