Jonathan Edwards and Teddy Tamgho meet in Paris, 9 June 2009 (© DPPI/ Phillippe Millereau)
The organisers of the Meeting Areva, the fourth leg of the ÅF Golden League 2009, which takes place in Stade de France on 17 July held a press conference yesterday in Paris which focused on the Triple Jump.
As already announced earlier this year for its eleventh edition, the Saint-Denis Meeting has changed its name, to adopt that of its main partner, the Areva group.
The Meeting Areva, now presided over by Bernard Amsalem, president of the French Athletics Federation and managed by a new director, Laurent Boquillet, will guarantee the presence of the main stars competing in the 16 events included in the programme. In fact Usain Bolt, Kenenisa Bekele, Yelena Iisinbayeva and Blanka Vlasic have already booked the date on their competition schedule.
However yesterday in the presence of IAAF Ambassador Jonathan Edwards (GBR) the retired World record holder (18.29m since 1995), and 2008 World Junior champion Teddy Tamgho (FRA) the press conference was all about one event the men’s Triple Jump.
Laurent Boquillet presented the provisional entry list, which includes the three 2008 Olympic medallists, Nelson Evora (POR) who is also the current world season leader, Phillips Idowu (GBR) and Leevan Sands (BAH), who will be challenged by the howe crowd favourite Tamgho.
The press conference was the occasion for Edwards to meet Tamgho.
“I didn't know Teddy very well; I'd never even seen him jump, even on video,” confirmed the 2000 Olympic and two-time World champion. “I was keen to meet him but when I met him in Turin during the European Indoor Championships in March he failed to qualify.”
“When I look at him, I say to myself that he belongs to the same category of triple jumpers as me, namely athletes that are fairly slender, fast and agile. He jumped 17.58 m at the age of 19, and has exceeded 17 m on a number of occasions. It's proof of a very great talent. At the same age, I was jumping 15, maybe 16 m.”
Edwards has special and vivid memories of Paris, as he concluded his brilliant career, which also included three World records, in the Stade de France during the 2003 World Championships.
“It was a happy and emotional day”, recalls the living legend of the Triple Jump. “The French public and media has always been fantastic with me. I jumped my longest ever jump in Lille (18.43m with a favourable wind during the 1995 European Cup). The Stade de France track is very good, as I did 17.75 in 2002, so I’m sure Teddy will enjoy jumping here.”
Indeed, it will be Tamgho’s first appearance in Paris.
“It’s and honour to jump in front of 50,000 spectators, I will do the maximum to please the crowd”, said the French rising star. “I first saw Jonathan in Turin. I was impressed but I introduced myself, we chatted briefly and I told him that my aim was to break his World record!”
“I have all his jumps on video; technically he is the one who approached the model of perfection. The only shortcoming was his landing, my coach Jean-Hervé Stievenart estimates that Edwards could have grabbed a few more centimetres.”
Edwards explained the development of his own technique: “When I started my career, I copied Khristo Markov’s style, using a large over-head arm movement. In 1995, I decided to change and adopt Mike Conley’s double arm technique, and my results improved dramatically, as my jumps were now more balanced.”
However, Edwards never managed to duplicate his fantastic 1995 season.
“For some reason, something in my head prevented me to execute that arm movement properly ever again. If I had done it, I would have been able to jump 18m constantly through the years.”
“In 1996, I was even faster than 1995. I used to practice blocks with Linford Christie and Colin Jackson in the lead up for Atlanta, and I was right with them at 30m.” Tamgho revealed that he uses blocks as well as part of his training: “some body angles are similar with the run-up technique, and blocks are an efficient way to train the body’s power”.
Edwards should also be regarded as a model concerning longevity with a career span from 1988 to 2003, breaking World records aged 29 and winning his last World title at 35.
“Triple Jump requires maturity and experience”, reckons Tamgho. “I have a good decade in front of me to perform, but I should not wait that long because injuries can always happen”.
This winter, the young Frenchman lined up at the European Indoor Championships owning the world leading indoor mark of the season (17.58) but failed to qualify for the final with a mere 15.94.
“This was a big slap in my face. I did mistakes and I won’t duplicate them anymore”.
Edwards, surprisingly, encountered even bigger upsets early in his career: “For my first two Olympic appearances, I failed to qualify for the finals, with 15.88 in Seoul’88 and with 15.76 in Barcelona’92!” Of course, he went to take silver medal in Atlanta’96 and gold in Sydney’00. “Even in Atlanta, I didn’t qualify automatically for the final!” recalls Edwards. “My advice is: never take it for granted”.
Asked about the possible contenders to break his World record, Edwards observed that the discipline has kind of stagnated since his retirement: “It’s hard to say because they are a long way off at the moment, still far from 18m. The best might be Evora, because he is the more balanced, light and fast.”
Tamgho, in his humorous and straight-foward style, replies: “Jonathan said earlier than he had never seen me jump! During the next decade, I think there will be a revolution in the Triple Jump, and I hope that the French will be a part of it”.
Meeting Areva's director Laurent Boquillet has invited the three other best French Triple Jumpers, Benjamin Comparoé, Karl Taillepierre and Julien Kapek, as well as the three best Cubans Yoandris Betanzos, Alexis Copello and Arnie David Giralt to compete on 17 July.
P-J Vazel for the IAAF
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