Hugues Fabrice Zango

{{Infobox sportsperson

|name = Hugues Fabrice Zango

|image = Hugues Fabrice Zango - Triple saut Hommes(2).jpg

|caption = Zango in 2019

|nationality = Burkinabe

|country = Burkina Faso

|sport = Athletics

|event = Triple jump
Long jump

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1993|6|25|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

|education = Artois University (PhD){{Cite web |url=https://data.2017.gov.taipei/atos/prod/eng/zb/engzb_athletics-athlete-profile-n170589-zango-hugues-fabrice.htm |title=2017 Universiade bio |access-date=2 September 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019083553/https://data.2017.gov.taipei/atos/prod/eng/zb/engzb_athletics-athlete-profile-n170589-zango-hugues-fabrice.htm |url-status=dead }}

| highestranking = 1st (Triple jump, 2023){{cite web | url=https://worldathletics.org/world-rankings/triple-jump/men?regionType=world&page=1&rankDate=2023-12-26 | title=World Rankings | Men's Triple Jump }}

|pb = Triple jump: 18.07 m
Long jump: 7.71 m

|height=1.80m{{cite web|url=https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/hugues-fabrice-zango |title=Hugues Fabrice Zango |publisher=Rio 2016 |access-date=26 October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026172118/https://www.rio2016.com/en/athlete/hugues-fabrice-zango |archive-date=26 October 2016 }}

|weight=78 kg

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|{{BUR}}}}

}}

Hugues Fabrice Zango (born 25 June 1993) is a Burkinabé athlete who specialises in the triple jump and the long jump. He is the world indoor record holder in the triple jump with a jump of {{T&Fcalc|18.07}} set in 2021 and the reigning world champion, winning the gold medal in the triple jump at the 2023 World Championships. Zango competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, in the triple jump event, the first ever Olympic medal for Burkina Faso. He has also competed in World Championships, two African athletics championships, a Jeux de la Francophonie, two Summer Universiades and two African Games.

He became Burkina Faso's first-ever Olympic medalist, earning a bronze medal in Tokyo, and set the African triple jump record at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Competition

Zango's debut at an international athletics competition was at the 2013 Summer Universiade, where he competed in the triple jump.{{cite web | url=http://kazan2013.com/en/st_events/schedule#/hide/en/-240/Comp/Info/ResultList/ATM062901 | title=Athletics: Men's Triple Jump Qualification Round Group A | publisher=Kazan 2013 | access-date=26 October 2016 | archive-date=8 April 2017 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20170408182936/http://kazan2013.com/en/st_events/schedule%23/hide/en/-240/Comp/Info/VO/MedalList/VOM400000#/hide/en/-240/Comp/Info/ResultList/ATM062901 | url-status=dead }} In the qualification round his best jump was 15.74 metres, a distance that qualified him for the final. Zango finished sixth with a jump of 15.96 metres in the final.{{cite web | url=http://kazan2013.com/en/st_events/schedule#/hide/en/-240/Comp/Info/ResultList/ATM062101 | title=Athletics: Men's Triple Jump Final | publisher=Kazan 2013 | access-date=26 October 2016 | archive-date=8 April 2017 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20170408182936/http://kazan2013.com/en/st_events/schedule%23/hide/en/-240/Comp/Info/VO/MedalList/VOM400000#/hide/en/-240/Comp/Info/ResultList/ATM062101 | url-status=dead }} His jump was 1.05 metres smaller than the jump of gold medalist, Ukrainian Viktor Kuznyetsov, and 61 centimetres smaller than the bronze medalist, Kazakhstani Yevgeniy Ektov.

Also in 2013 was the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie.{{cite web | url=https://www.jeux.francophonie.org/Resultats/static/pdf/JDF2013_Athletisme_Livre%20de%20resultats.pdf | title=Results | publisher=Agence universitaire de la Francophonie | access-date=26 October 2016 | language=fr | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014213127/https://www.jeux.francophonie.org/Resultats/static/pdf/JDF2013_Athletisme_Livre%20de%20resultats.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 October 2013}} At the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie, Zango competed in the triple jump. He jumped 15.97 metres to finish tenth in a twelve-athlete field.

Zango's next major competition was the 2015 Summer Universiade, where he competed in both the long jump and the triple jump.{{cite web | url=http://www.gwangju2015.com/IRS/resGJ2015/pdf/GJ2015/AT/GJ2015_AT_C73O_ATM061902.pdf | title=Men's Long Jump – Qualification Group B | publisher=Gwangju 2015 | access-date=26 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114406/http://www.gwangju2015.com/IRS/resGJ2015/pdf/GJ2015/AT/GJ2015_AT_C73O_ATM061902.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=4 March 2016}}{{cite web | url=http://www.gwangju2015.com/IRS/resGJ2015/pdf/GJ2015/AT/GJ2015_AT_C73O_ATM062901.pdf | title=Men's Triple Jump – Qualification Group A | publisher=Gwangju 2015 | access-date=26 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115145/http://www.gwangju2015.com/IRS/resGJ2015/pdf/GJ2015/AT/GJ2015_AT_C73O_ATM062901.pdf | archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status=dead}} In the long jump, Zango's best jump was 6.73 metres, a distance that placed him 30th in qualification, out of 36 athletes.{{efn|Two athletes; Mehakpreet Singh and Sylvester Nakeel; did not record a legal distance.|name=15SU (LJ)}} He did not qualify for the final. In the triple jump, Zango qualified for the final after jumping a distance of 16.59 metres in the qualification round. In the final, Zango jumped 16.76 metres, a distance that won him the silver medal.{{cite news | url=http://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-star-malaysia/20150710/282544426975897 | title=Triple jumper Hakimi a fraction off in Universiade | work=The Star | date=9 July 2015 | access-date=26 October 2016 | author=Wai, Tan Ming}} Zango's jump was 53 centimetres smaller than the gold-medalist's (Russian Dmitriy Sorokin's) jump of 17.29 metres. Zango jumped the same distance as bronze medalist Xu Xiaolong (China) but, as Zango's second best jump was further than Xiaolong's, Zango won the silver medal on count back. Zango was Burkina Faso's only medalist at the 2015 Summer Universiade.{{cite web|url=http://www.gwangju2015.com/IRS/eng/zz/engzz_country_overview_burkina_faso.htm |title=Country Overview – Burkina Faso |publisher=Gwangju 2015 |access-date=26 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114529/http://www.gwangju2015.com/IRS/eng/zz/engzz_country_overview_burkina_faso.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}

Zango competed at the 2015 World Championships in the triple jump.{{cite web | url=https://www.iaaf.org/results/iaaf-world-championships-in-athletics/2015/15th-iaaf-world-championships-4875/men/triple-jump/qualification/summary#resultheader | title=Triple Jump Men – Qualification – Summary | publisher=IAAF | access-date=26 October 2016}} In the competition, all three of his jumps were fouls and therefore he recorded no mark (NM). Zango then competed in the 2015 African Games.{{cite web | url=http://brazzaville2015.microplustiming.com/pdf/AT/CLR-ASM-Triple-FINALE-01.PDF | title=Triple Jump – Men – Final | publisher=Brazzaville 2015 | access-date=26 October 2016 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306214923/http://brazzaville2015.microplustiming.com/pdf/AT/CLR-ASM-Triple-FINALE-01.PDF | archive-date=6 March 2016 | df=dmy-all }} Zango finished fifth in the triple jump with a jump of 16.36 metres. Zango was 19 centimetres behind the bronze medalist, Mamadou Chérif Dia of Mali. At the 2016 African Athletics Championships, Zango won the silver medal in the triple jump.{{cite web | url=http://caa16.co.za/RESULTS/Day4/065_JMPTrippleM25_F0_21023.html | title=Final Men Senior Triple Jump | publisher=Confederation of African Athletics | access-date=26 October 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923130801/http://caa16.co.za/RESULTS/Day4/065_JMPTrippleM25_F0_21023.html | archive-date=23 September 2018 | url-status=dead }} He jumped 16.81 metres, which was 32 centimetres less than the distance jumped by the gold medalist, Nigerian Tosin Oke. Zango jumped four centimetres further than the bronze medalist, Godfrey Khotso Mokoena of South Africa, and 20 centimetres further than the fourth-placed athlete, Mauritian Jonathan Drack.

=2016 Summer Olympics=

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Zango competed in the triple jump. Zango jumped 15.99 metres in the qualification round.{{cite web | url=https://www.iaaf.org/results/olympic-games/2016/the-xxxi-olympic-games-5771/men/triple-jump/qualification/summary#resultheader | title=Triple Jump Men – Qualification – Summary | publisher=IAAF | access-date=26 October 2016}} His jump was the 34th best out of 47 athletes.{{efn|Eight athletes; Latario Collie-Minns, Yordanys Durañona, Muhammad Halim, Ruslan Kurbanov, Marian Oprea, Şeref Osmanoğlu, Lasha Torgvaidze and Roman Valiyev; did not record a legal distance.|name=16SO (TJ)}} Zango's jump was 62 centimetres less than the shortest jump by an athlete that qualified for the final, Cuban Lázaro Martínez. Therefore, Zango was eliminated from the competition.

=2019 World Championships=

Before the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Burkina Faso's best Athletics World Championship result was 10th place for Franck Zio in the long jump at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. Qualifying for the final in Doha, Zango performed consistently well with 17.46 m in round 2 and 17.56 m in round 5, before setting a new African Record with a distance of 17.66 m in the sixth and final round.[https://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitiondocuments/pdf/6033/AT-TJ-M-f----.RS6.pdf Results. Triple Jump Men - Final] iaaf.org With this record, Zango claimed the bronze medal - his (and Burkina Faso's) first at a major championship.

=2020 Summer Olympics=

In the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in 2021, Zango won the bronze medal (and so far the only one for his country in the Olympics) in the men's triple jump with a distance of 17.47 meters. He qualified for the final with a distance of 16.83 meters in the earlier heats. Going into the event, he was ranked fourth in the world and had a personal and season best of 18.07 meters.{{cite web |title=Athletics - Final Results |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-triple-jump-fnl-000100-.htm |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |access-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=5 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805001149/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-triple-jump-fnl-000100-.htm |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Olympic Stadium-Triple Jump A - 3 Aug - 9:00 - Official |url=https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-triple-jump-qual-a00100-.htm |work=Tokyo 2020 Olympics |access-date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=5 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805211659/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/athletics/result-men-s-triple-jump-qual-a00100-.htm |url-status=dead }} This was Burkina Faso's first Olympic medal, and Zango earned it on 5 Aug, Burkina's Independence Day.{{cite news |last1=Culpepper |first1=Chuck |title=The thing about poignant triple-jump moments? They sneak up on you. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/08/05/hugues-fabrice-zango-burkina-faso-triple-jump-medal/ |access-date=August 5, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 5, 2021}}

Indoor world record

On 16 Jan 2021, in his final attempt jumping at a jumps-only indoor meet in Aubière, France, Zango jumped {{T&Fcalc|18.07}} to improve his coach, Teddy Tamgho's Indoor World Record by 15 cm.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/story/_/id/30723742/hugues-fabrice-zango-breaks-world-indoor-triple-jump-record|title=Zango breaks world indoor triple jump record|date=16 January 2021|website=ESPN.com|accessdate=5 August 2021}} He became the first world record holder from Burkina Faso and the first African to hold a world record in a jumping event.{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/hugues-fabrice-zango-triple-jump-world-record|title=Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango breaks indoor triple jump world record|website=Olympics.com|accessdate=5 August 2021}} The jump ranks him the 6th performer in history, indoors or outdoors.

Personal bests

Event !Best !Venue !Date !Notes !Citation
class="wikitable"
Triple jump	18.07 m (indoor) 17.82 m	Aubière, France Székesfehérvár	16 January 2021 6 July 2021	WIR AR NR	{{cite news \|title=Zango leaps into record books with world indoor triple jump mark \|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/16/zango-leaps-into-record-books-with-world-indoor-triple-jump-mark \|access-date=January 16, 2021 \|work=aljazeera.com \|publisher=Al Jazeera English \|date=January 16, 2021 \|language=en}}
Long jump	7.71 m	Pierre-Bénite, France	28 August 2020
100 metres	10.72 s	Tergnier, France	25 May 2017
200 metres	23.08 s	Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, France	1 May 2017

All information taken from IAAF profile.

Competition record

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{BUR}}
rowspan=2\|2013 \|Universiade \|Kazan, Russia \|6th \|Triple jump \|15.96 m
Jeux de la Francophonie \|Nice, France \|10th \|Triple jump \|15.97 m
rowspan=4\|2015 \|rowspan=2\|Universiade \|rowspan=2\|Gwangju, South Korea \|30th (q) \|Long jump \|6.73 m
bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|Triple jump \|16.76 m
World Championships \|Beijing, China \| – \|Triple jump \|NM
African Games \|Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo \|5th \|Triple jump \|16.36 m
rowspan=2\|2016 \|African Championships \|Durban, South Africa \|bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|Triple jump \|16.81 m
Olympic Games \|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil \|34th (q) \|Triple jump \|15.99 m
rowspan=2\|2017 \|Jeux de la Francophonie \|Abidjan, Ivory Coast \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|16.92 m (w)
Universiade \|Taipei, Taiwan \|bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|Triple jump \|16.97 m
rowspan=3\|2018 \|World Indoor Championships \|Birmingham, United Kingdom \|6th \|Triple jump \|17.11 m
rowspan=2\|African Championships \|rowspan=2\|Asaba, Nigeria \|8th \|4 × 100 m relay \|40.96 s
bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|17.11 m NR
rowspan=2\|2019 \|African Games \|Rabat, Morocco \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|16.88 m
World Championships \|Doha, Qatar \|bgcolor="cc9966" \|3rd \|Triple jump \|17.66 m {{AthAbbr\|AR\|African}}
2021 \|Olympic Games \|Tokyo, Japan \|bgcolor="cc9966" \|3rd \|Triple jump \|17.47 m
rowspan=2\|2022 \|African Championships \|Port Louis, Mauritius \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|17.34 m (w)
World Championships \|Eugene, United States \|bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|Triple jump \|17.55 m
rowspan=2\|2023 \|Jeux de la Francophonie \|Kinshasa, DR Congo \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|17.11 m
World Championships \|Budapest, Hungary \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|17.64 m
rowspan=4\|2024 \|World Indoor Championships \|Glasgow, United Kingdom \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|17.53 m
African Games \|Accra, Ghana \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|16.97 m
African Championships \|Douala, Cameroon \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|Triple jump \|17.18 m
Olympic Games \|Paris, France \|5th \|Triple jump \|17.50 m
2025 \|World Indoor Championships \|Nanjing, China \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|Triple jump \|17.15 m

colspan="6"|Representing {{BUR}}

rowspan=2|2013

|Universiade

|Kazan, Russia

|6th

|Triple jump

|15.96 m

Jeux de la Francophonie

|Nice, France

|10th

|Triple jump

|15.97 m

rowspan=4|2015

|rowspan=2|Universiade

|rowspan=2|Gwangju, South Korea

|30th (q)

|Long jump

|6.73 m

bgcolor=silver|2nd

|Triple jump

|16.76 m

World Championships

|Beijing, China

| –

|Triple jump

|NM

African Games

|Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

|5th

|Triple jump

|16.36 m

rowspan=2|2016

|African Championships

|Durban, South Africa

|bgcolor=silver|2nd

|Triple jump

|16.81 m

Olympic Games

|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

|34th (q)

|Triple jump

|15.99 m

rowspan=2|2017

|Jeux de la Francophonie

|Abidjan, Ivory Coast

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|16.92 m (w)

Universiade

|Taipei, Taiwan

|bgcolor=silver|2nd

|Triple jump

|16.97 m

rowspan=3|2018

|World Indoor Championships

|Birmingham, United Kingdom

|6th

|Triple jump

|17.11 m

rowspan=2|African Championships

|rowspan=2|Asaba, Nigeria

|8th

|4 × 100 m relay

|40.96 s

bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|17.11 m NR

rowspan=2|2019

|African Games

|Rabat, Morocco

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|16.88 m

World Championships

|Doha, Qatar

|bgcolor="cc9966" |3rd

|Triple jump

|17.66 m {{AthAbbr|AR|African}}

2021

|Olympic Games

|Tokyo, Japan

|bgcolor="cc9966" |3rd

|Triple jump

|17.47 m

rowspan=2|2022

|African Championships

|Port Louis, Mauritius

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|17.34 m (w)

World Championships

|Eugene, United States

|bgcolor=silver|2nd

|Triple jump

|17.55 m

rowspan=2|2023

|Jeux de la Francophonie

|Kinshasa, DR Congo

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|17.11 m

World Championships

|Budapest, Hungary

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|17.64 m

rowspan=4|2024

|World Indoor Championships

|Glasgow, United Kingdom

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|17.53 m

African Games

|Accra, Ghana

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|16.97 m

African Championships

|Douala, Cameroon

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|Triple jump

|17.18 m

Olympic Games

|Paris, France

|5th

|Triple jump

|17.50 m

2025

|World Indoor Championships

|Nanjing, China

|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd

|Triple jump

|17.15 m

Personal life

Zango graduated with a Master's degree in Electronics, Electrical energy, and Automation from the University of Artois (Hauts-de-France, France) in 2018. Subsequently, he began working on a PhD degree in electrical engineering at the same university.[https://www.jeux.francophonie.org/sites/default/files/public/wysiwyg/revue_de_presse_mars_2018.pdf Revue de presse: Press review March 2018] - website of the Jeux de la Francophonie[http://www.univ-artois.fr/sites/default/files/2021-06/ARTOIS_MAG_24_BD.pdf Un nouvel exploit mondial pour Fabrice Zango, doctorant à la FSA !] - website of the University of Artois He completed his degree on 22 December 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/67762889 |last1=Karoney |first1=Celestine |title=Hugues Fabrice Zango wants to be 'a symbol of hope' for Burkina Faso |publisher=BBC Sport |date=29 December 2023 |access-date=3 January 2024}}