Fernando Pimenta, 31, who had been crowned Olympic vice-champion in London2012, in K2 1,000 metres, alongside Emanuel Silva, finished the K1 1,000 metre event at Tokyo2020 in 3.22,478 minutes, just behind Hungarians Balint Kopasz, new Olympic record holder, with 3.20,643, and Adam Varga (3.22,431).

Portugal now has a total of 28 medals won in the Olympic Games (five gold, nine silver and 14 bronze), two of which are in canoeing, both with the participation of Fernando Pimenta, who is now part of the restricted group of Portuguese athletes with two medals in the world’s biggest sporting event.

In the Japanese capital, the first to reach the podium was Jorge Fonseca, getting the bronze medal for judo, followed by Patrícia Mamona, with silver for a jump of 15.01 metres, a new national record.

Then it was the canoeist, who already had a silver medal on his CV alongside Emanuel Silva, in London 2012, who added a new podium for Portugal at the Sea Forest Waterway before Pedro Pichardo added the latest gold medal with a jump of 17.98 metres in the triple jump discipline.

Los Angeles 1984 brought the first gold in national history in Olympic Games, with the victorious marathon of Carlos Lopes, with António Leitão, in the 5,000 metres, and Rosa Mota, in the marathon, achieving bronze.

Carlos Lopes, who came from silver in the 10,000 metres of Montreal1976, won the first of four gold medals in Portuguese history in the North American city.

Injured in Moscow1980, the Portuguese marathon runner became the first national Olympic hero with a record of 2:09.21 hours, which would only be beaten in Beijing2008, by Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru.