Men’s long jump final
As fellow Australian Louise Sauvage was being honoured as the gold medallist in the 800m wheelchair race, a TV camera caught long jumper Jai Taurima, head bowed, listening to more than 100,000 of his countrymen singing "Advance Australia Fair."
At the time, Taurima was in second place, one centimeter behind the acknowledged king of the event, Cuba's Ivan Pedroso, who was leading with 8.41. He had two jumps left to do something about it.
The 28-year-old Queenslander had thoughts about the possibility of hearing his national anthem once again during the evening. It seemed to fill him with energy, even more than he had expended to leap a national record 8.40 in the fourth round.
At the urging of a full stadium, Taurima jumped 8.49 to take the lead. It was his second national record in two successive jumps.
The stadium erupted. Australia was already enjoying a gold-medal feast of unexpected proportions. Taurima must have felt he was another part of the script.
Pedroso had two jumps left. He responded to Taurima's big jump initially with a foul, and then with a pressure-packed 8.55 to grab the gold medal from the defenseless Taurima who had taken all of his jumps.
The bronze medal itself involved a national duel between Ukrainians Olexiy Lukashevych and Roman Schurenko. Lukashevych had moved into the third position with 8.22 in the fourth round, and had extended it to 8.26 on his penultimate jump.
Schurenko, sitting in sixth with 8.14, suddenly came up with a last-attempt 8.31 to collect the third medal.
Kofi Amoah Prah of Germany took fifth with 8.19, ahead of Australia's Peter Burge at 8.15.
If the world had been wondering how the long jump event would remain entertaining after the era of Carl Lewis, it now has an answer.
