Irving Saladino became on Monday evening the national hero for Panama by winning the tiny country its first Olympic gold medal.

Saladino reached 8.34 meters in the men's long jump at the Beijing Olympics. Before the victory in Beijing, Panama only had two bronze medals both won by Lloyd LaBeach in the men's 100m and 200m sprints in 1948.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2008)