Cuba's David Giralt springs a surprise in the men's triple jump with a winning leap of 17.45m (© Getty Images)
Arnie David Giralt (NB. spelt 'Girat' in the results) won with a second round 17.45m (1.5m/s) making the top senior grade after fourth place in Beijing and fifth in Berlin. Ok albeit we are talking about a World Athletics Final and not a global championship but many a great career has been triggered off by lesser victories, and the 25-year-old Cuban certainly has the talent to take on the world, his 17.62m PB early this year proved that; it remains the fifth equal best performance of this year.
Giralt, the 2002 World Junior champion, was by far the best of the day on which his third round jump of 17.35 (0.9m/s) would also have secured the $30,000 first prize.
In second place snapping-up $20,000 was the Bahamas’ Leevan Sands, the Olympic bronze medallist who had been fourth in Berlin, who opened well with 17.08 (1.3m/s) for the early competition lead (Giralt produced a 16.86 opener), and then leapt 17.19m on his third jump to go past Bulgaria’s Momchil Karailiev by one centimetre (17.18, round two) to take second place.
Of the World champs podium from Berlin there was ‘only’ Britain’s World Championship gold medallist Phillips Idowu represented on the start list and tonight the reigning global champion indoors and out was not in contention with a best of 17.03 in round two of four.
"I expected to perform well but not to win," said Giralt, "because too many great athletes were taking part. I am very happy. I wanted to put a thorn out of my body after my performance in Berlin (5th). Now I will go on vacation in my homeland and try to get ready for next year's competitions. The crowd was very helpful."
Chris Turner for the IAAF
