Olympic pole vault: Thiago Da Silva hands hosts first athletics gold

Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian Thiago Da Silva won the Olympic pole vault gold medal in dramatic fashion on Monday to give the host country its first athletics gold medal of the Games.

World record-holder Renaud Lavillenie of France took the silver medal.

After three early failures, Da Silva passed on an attempt at 5.98 metres and pushed Lavillenie to 6.03, which the Frenchman failed twice before the Brazilian set an Olympic record by clearing that height.

The Brazilian crowd had been quiet early in the night, which began with a rain delay, but quickly got behind their 22-year-old countryman, cheering him wildly and booing Lavillenie as he prepared for his final jump.