While the quality of performance didn’t match many previous World Indoor Championship Long Jump battles, South African Godfrey Mokoena and Briton Chris Tomlinson did at least provide an entertaining gold medal battle that really wasn’t decided until the sixth and final round.
When two of the world’s best jumpers – World outdoor champion Irving Saladino and reigning World indoor title holder Ignisius Gaisah – sustained injuries in Athens last month, the Valencia competition was left a wide open contest. In that vein, Mokoena and Tomlinson took command of the situation by producing a virtual dead on match from the opening round.
Tomlinson set the tone with his first round 8.06m leap, on paper a dead certainty to earn a medal. Mokoena, a former World junior champion in the Triple Jump, answered with an 8.05m jump. The Briton then responded with an 8.04 leap in the second round; Mokoena replied was an 8.01m. The tit-for-tat continued in the third round, with Tomlinson reaching 8.01m, and Mokoena 8.03m.
But Tomlinson’s momentum changed with a foul in the fourth round while Mokoena, piecing together an astoundingly consistent series, again jumped 8.03m.
Tomlinson didn’t improve in round five (7.90m), but Mokoena did, reaching 8.08 to snatch the lead, and with the Briton failing to improve on his last jump (7.95m), the victory as well.
Mohamed Salman Al Khuwalidi of Saudi Arabia reached 8.01m in the third round to round out the podium spots.
Of statistical interest: each of the podium trio earned the first medal of any colour for their countries in this event, and Mokoena’s winning 8.08 was the shortest gold medal leap ever at a World championship.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
