Teddy Tamgho of France on his way to victory in the Final of the Men's Triple Jump (© Getty Images)
France’s 2008 World Junior champion Teddy Tamgho confirmed his steady improvement as he triple jumped to 17.37m in Mondeville, for the 2nd leg of the French National Indoor Circuit.
The Frenchman, who will turn 20 in June, has now jumped farther indoors than anyone else at the same age. His winning leap was also a new world indoor season lead, and ranks him 30th in the indoor all-time lists.
Mondeville was Tamgho’s 2009 debut but the 1.87m and 83kg jumper, coached by Jean-Hervé Stievenart and Laurence Bily, had already shown earlier in the competition that he had entered into a new league. After a 16.12m first round effort, Tamgho broke his 16.94 personal best from last year in the three following attempts, 17.03, 17.15 and 17.37 and fouled the last two jumps.
Tamgho’s next competitions are now keenly anticipated, as he can now credibly target the French record of 17.59m which was set by Pierre Camara 16 years ago. His first outing could either be at the Meeting SEAT in Bercy (13 February) or the French indoor Championships in Liévin (20-21 February).
He was unlucky last year not to make the trip to Beijing, as he jumped farther than the French Olympic qualifying standard with 17.33 taking the World Junior title but the win was just above the legal limit (2.1m/s), and then he then jumped 17.19m, an improvement of his national junior record just three days after the deadline.
Tamgho is now targeting a place in French team for the European Indoor Championships in Turin (6-8 March).
Yesterday in Mondeville, 37-years-old Charles Friedek of Germany, the former World indoor and outdoor Champion, took third place with 16.48.
The jumping events provided most of the highlights in Mondeville with Salim Sdiri long jumping 7.88 for his first meet of the year, and Damiel Dossevi pole vaulting 5.55m.
Patricia Girard, 40, is aiming for her 10th participation at the European Indoor Champs, 21 years after her first entry to that competition. After a 8.17sec run in the heats, she won the 60m Hurdles final in 8.18 from Nigerian Toyin Augustus 8.22.
The men’s 60m Hurdles was a more closely contested race, with Nigerian Selim Nurudeen (7.70) and American Frederick Townsend (7.71) being the fastest in their respective heats, but both were beaten in final by Belgian Damien Broothaerts (7.71).
France’s Yohann Diniz, 2006 European champion and 2007 World silver medallist at the 50km Race Walk in 2007, took part to the 5000m track walk winning in 19:02.34, a new indoor personal best for this rarely contested event, which is some 44sec slower than his outdoor record set last year.
The next National Indoor Circuit meeting will be held on 3 February in Reims.
P-J Vazel for the IAAF
