There have been several surprises in Athens thus far, but Dwight Phillips’ win in the Long Jump was not among them.
The reigning World champion, 2004 world leader and perhaps the only solid favorite leading up to the Games, Phillips wasted little time in his quest to return the gold medal to the United States.
With an opening round leap of 8.59, a performance just one centimetre shy of his world-leading 8.60 leap from Linz earlier this month, the 26-year-old from Decatur, Georgia immediately turned the competition into one for second place. Only Olympic record holder Bob Beamon, and 1992 gold and silver medallists Carl Lewis and Mike Powell have ever jumped farther in Olympic competition.
“I feel great,” said Phillips, who followed up his winning effort with two fouls and a pair of passes before ending with an 8.32. “I wanted to break the World record, but I tried too hard, and when you try to hard, it never happens.”
Unlike Phillips, who also jumped to the World indoor title in 2003, the silver medallist was a surprise. John Moffitt, this year’s NCAA champion, outdid any and all expectations with his 8.47 leap in the fourth round, a personal best by nearly 20 centimetres.
Only Phillips has jumped farther this year. With his late-competition clutch performance, the 23-year-old graduate of Louisiana State University completed turned in the third farthest ever-silver medal winning jump.
“I’m just honored that we’re carrying on the tradition of great jumpers like Carl Lewis, Mike Powell, Bob Beamon and Ralph Boston,” the personable, ever-smiling Phillips said of the 1-2 American sweep. Phillips, who was a distant eighth in Sydney, added, “It really doesn’t get any better than this.”
The battle for the remaining medals began in the second round when Spaniard Joan Lino Martinez reached 8.32, a near-PB for the Cuban native. Jamaican James Beckford reached 8.31 in the third round, a leap farther than his silver medal winning performance from Atlanta, but here, it left him just a centimetre shy of a medal.
Briton Christopher Tomlinson was a solid fifth with a 8.25 leap, just a centimeter ahead of Ignisious Gaisah. Defending champion Ivan Pedroso, whose best this year prior to the qualifying round was just 7.74, came armed with solid 8.19 and 8.23 efforts to finish seventh.
In a surprisingly deep competition, Jonathan Chimier of Mauritius, who leapt 8.03, earned the distinction of having the farthest last lap jump in Olympic history.
BR
