Teddy Tamgho,
It was first noted in an article in Sports Illustrated in 1996. The man who said it, Sebastian Coe, the double gold medalist at 1,500 meters, and double silver medalist at 800 meters, was paying homage to Jonathan Edwards, the world record holder in the Triple jump.
Coe had told Kenny Moore, the long time feature writer for SI and chronicler of all things athletics, that the most physically demanding event of our entire sport was the triple jump. You remember it, the hop, skip and jump from your childhood.
It was in an article speaking of the virtues of Jonathan Edwards, who, in July 1995, had broke the world record not once, but twice in one competition. His jump of 18.29 meters was, well, Beamonesque. I was in the stadium and watching the event from the middle of the stands on the finish line side, when Edwards burst down the runway. His first World record was amazing. On his second, the crowd went wild.
Now, move ahead seventeen years…It is August 2013, and you are in Moscow, Russia, in the famous Luzhniki Stadium, watching the final round of the triple jump…
Teddy Tamgho had already won the event. Many, in his position, would wave run a bit and not even take the last jump. But, the French triple jumper, who had been away from the sport for nearly two years, was not about to give up an opportunity to show his stuff.
Teddy Tamgho had already had a close foul that was eighteen plus meter territory. So, when I looked up to watch his last jump, I was not sure what Tamgho would do. Teddy is fast down the runway, but it, is in his transition, from second phase to third phase that he, well soars.
Eighteen point zero four meters, 18.04 meters, or 59 feet, 2.21 inches later, Teddy Tamgho had given the 50,000 assembled fans the best jump seventeen years. Not since August 1996, when Kenny Harrison jumped 18.09 meters, to win the gold medal in Atlanta, had the world seen a jump of this stature.
Naturalement, RunBlogRun chose Teddy Tamgho as the Best Event of Day Nine!
RunBlogRun Event of the Day, Day Nine: Teddy Tamgho jumps 18.04 meters
The Triple Jump had Teddy Tamgho, 2011 bronze medalist and 2012 silver medalist Will Claye, 2011 WC and 2012 gold medalist Christian Taylor, Pedro Pichardo, longest jumper of the year. it was, arguably, the best field in the TJ since 2008.
Some hot jumping came out of Moscow today as most of the top active triple jumpers in the world were present. Unfortunately, Christian Taylor, who has had two of the longest jumps in the past two years, just did not have a good day, finishing fourth and taking five jumps to get to 17.12m and finally, hitting 17.20 meters.
Teddy Tamgho, the French triple jumper who has been injured since 2011, is back in shape. He had jumped 17.41m before the worlds, and then jumped 17.72 here. He had a foul in his second jump that while 2 centimeters over the board, was huge and in 18 meter territory.
Pedro Pichardo of Cuba had a nice 17.68 meter jump, which garnered him the silver and Will Claye hit 17.52 meters, for the bronze.
After Teddy Tamgho had won the event, on his last jump, he leaped 18.04 meters. With a flawless three segments of the triple jump, Tamgho soared to 18.04 meters, saving his best jump for last!
How good was Tamgho? Well, it is the third best jump EVER. The last time someone was over eighteen meters, was in August 1996, when Kenny Harrison took the gold with 18.09 meters in Atlanta.
Tamgho is one of the most talented triple jumpers in the world, he just has to keep his extra curricular activities in control, he could get the world record.
Teddy Tamgho is fit and healthy. Let’s see how he and the triple jump crew does the rest of the season! Eighteen meters, wow!
#moscow2013
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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by Larry Eder
