That mark erased Yoelbi Quesada's nearly 18-year-old record, and put Pichardo in position #6 of the all-time top ten performers.

[7] In April 2017, Pichardo disappeared from the Cuban national team's meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, appearing in Portugal days later.

Benfica on 27 April,[9] he gained Portuguese citizenship on 7 December[10] and was eligible to compete for Portugal on international stage since August 2019.

[11] Therefore, the first major competition in which Pichardo represented the Portuguese colours was the 2019 World Championships, finishing fourth in the final.

[12] He also won gold medals at the 2019 IAAF Diamond League, with a personal season best of 17.53 m,[13] and at the 2020 IAAF Diamond League, with a mark of 17.40 m. Representing Portugal, Pichardo won the gold medal at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships on 7 March 2021.