THOUGH THERE WAS a touch of drama in the final round, the men’s long jump was wrapped up early. Tajay Gayle flew out to 27-2 (8.28) on his second attempt, a mark none of his rivals would threaten. The cool and wet conditions clearly hindered the field, with the Jamaican the only athlete to record a season’s best.
Simon Ehammer, the trophy winner in ’23, led after the first round with his 26-¾ (7.94), followed by Paris bronze medalist Mattia Furlani at 25-10¼ (7.88). Two-time Olympic champ Miltiádis Tentóglou misfired with 22-4¼ (6.81) and Gayle fouled.
In the next stanza, Gayle, who didn’t make it out of the qualifying round in Paris and hadn’t jumped past 8 meters since the Jamaican Championships in June, uncorked his winning jump riding a modest 0.4 wind.
Nothing changed until the fourth round, when Tentóglou began to find his rhythm, reaching 25-5½ (7.76). Still, he entered the final round in just 5th place, unfamiliar territory for the reigning world champion. He then produced his best mark of the day, 26-9 (8.15), to move into 2nd. Ehammer responded moments later with 26-9 ¼ (8.16) to edge back into the runner-up slot.
Gayle, the ’19 world champion in Doha, finished by punctuating his victory with the day’s second-longest effort, 26-9¾ (8.17).
“It’s impressive that Tajay Gayle was able to jump that far in these conditions, so I’m not mad that I lost from him,” said Tentóglou, who had been struggling to find post-Paris motivation. “Now we start the preparations for the indoor season, unless they change the rules about the board. If so, then I’m quitting long jumping.”
The winner was pleased to jump so well in the less-than-ideal conditions. “A jump around 8.30 [27-2 ¾] was my goal today, so I just missed out on that,” said Gayle, who nonetheless had his best mark since ’21. “But I knew that the cold would become a factor during the competition, so I’m happy that I was able to make it work in that first two attempts.”
Results
1. Tajay Gayle (Jam) 27-2 (8.28) (f, 27-2, 26-6¼, f, 26-6¼, 26-9¾) (f, 8.28, 8.08, f, 8.08, 8.17); 2. Simon Ehammer (Swi) 26-9¼ (8.16); 3. Miltiádis Tentóglou (Gre) 26-9 (8.15); 4. Mattia Furlani (Ita) 25-10¼ (7.88); 5. Carey McLeod (Jam) 25-9¼ (7.85); 6. Wayne Pinnock (Jam) 24-4½ (7.43).