by Larry Eder
Sometimes when world leads are posted at this time of the season it’s best to take little notice of them and just move on to the next meet.
Yet as the Doha Diamond League came to a close on Friday evening it could be argued that almost all of the eleven leading marks to be set that night really did have top class value.
In fact, as the league enters it’s sixth season you could call having three series records broken in one night pretty incredible.
Wherever you looked athletes were proving why they had been chosen to take part in the world’s crème de la crème athletics circuit and showing how they could be set to have a stellar season.
With that in mind it seems almost impossible to choose my performance of the meet.
However after his super leap of 18.06m to become the third best triple jumper ever, I think Pablo Pedro Pichardo just about edges it from Jasmin Stowers and Allyson Felix, and that’s not just because of his awesome name.
Slightly easier to decide was the event of the meet, which was was of course also the TJ. Although had Christian Taylor not joined Pichardo in the 18+ club in the last round to make it the greatest competition ever, then it could have easily have gone the women’s long jumpers.
While Pichardo’s performance alone merits his place at the top of the individual list, it was the way in which he outshone two Olympic gold medallists and former world champ Teddy Tamgho in the process that impressed me the most.
Sure he was the world leader coming into the competition and he did win world silver in 2013 and indoor bronze the year after, but this was still a shock.
When he leapt out to 17.94 in La Habana last week to become the national record holder his competition was sparse, but not this time, but really it wasn’t about that but instead the brilliant timing of his leap.
As they approached the mid-point of competition with everyone languishing around the low 17 metre marks, the Cuban sensed it was time to move it up a gear and went for broke to a marvellous effect.
Had it been only 20/30 cm that he added to Taylor’s early lead of 17.46m then you sense that his opponents would have believed that they could have come back to him, yet despite having three rounds left to go he had deflated their challenges with the ultimate sucker punch.
Although Taylor eventually showed the signs of a true champion by almost matching him in a final shootout, even he must have felt up against it before he leapt.
Nonetheless he should take a lot away from what he was able to produce, both in the short and the long term. Now undoubtably the American will believe that despite being beaten on this occasion he is still the world number one. Especially as he can add clearing the magic 18 metre barrier to the Olympic title and the three Diamond League trophies he already holds on his list of accolades.
As for Pichardo, if he is to win the battle with Taylor and the rest in the long run to ultimately win that so far elusive gold medal, then he’ll know that more sucker punch jumps will have to be administered when it really matters.
