ON A WARM EVENING, with most media attention focused on track events, Tara Davis-Woodhall staked her claim as the world’s top long jumper.
In so doing, she defeated Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, since ’18 the dominant force in the event, with 14 meets beyond 7m (22-11¾), an Olympic and two World titles, and two European golds.
And Davis-Woodhall did so decisively, with the two longest jumps in the competition, and a superb series.
There was drama in the qualifying, thanks to Mihambo, who fouled her first two attempts. On her third, she took off with a 1-foot (30.8cm) margin of safety, well behind the takeoff board, and reached 22-6¼ (6.86) to automatically advance. She is still handicapped by breathing problems after a recent Covid infection.
The morning’s longest jump belonged to Davis-Woodhall, at 22-7¾ (6.90), followed closely by Italy’s Larissa Iapichino with a 22-6½ (6.87). Americans Jasmine Moore and Monae’ Nichols also advanced, but the ’23 world champion, Ivana Španović of Serbia, could not recover from a season of injuries and fell short.
Before the final, Davis-Woodhall broke the tension by dancing trackside with just-qualified 1500 finalist Nikki Hiltz.
Teammate Moore opened the proceedings with a 22-10 (6.96) jump, which remained her best of the day, and TDW followed with a 22-9 (6.93).
The second round would prove decisive. Moore started it with a 22-8½ (6.92), Mihambo followed with a 22-4¼ (6.81), and Iapichino equaled her 22-6½ qualifying mark; she would jump no farther.
Then TDW leaped 23-1¾ (7.05) with a 1.1mps wind, a mark no one would exceed.
But Mihambo was not finished. A 22-9¾ (6.95) in round 3 was followed by a long foul in round 4 and a 22-10¾ (6.98) in round 5, moving her closer, into 2nd. On her final try, under pressure with a chance to win it all, her approach was off and she ran through the pit. Her reign was over.
Davis-Woodhall left nothing to chance, using her 12.75 hurdle speed and excellent board placement to record a winning 23-3½ (7.10) in round 4. Moore’s bronze made her the first American to medal in both horizontal jumps.
Reunited with her trademark cowboy hat, the typically-ebullient TDW was ready to celebrate. “Is this real? Am I dreaming? Pinch me! When I found out I was jumping at 8pm on the 8th of August, I knew it was perfect.”
“I never let anything get me down. I tried so hard to keep on being positive, keep on being motivated. That motivation turned into manifestation, and manifestation turned into reality, and the reality is I’m an Olympic gold medalist.”
A very surprised Moore said, “Just to have two bronze medals, I don’t think I pictured this for myself, and it’s way better than I could have imagined.”
WOMEN’S LONG JUMP RESULTS
FINAL (August 08)
(temperature 79F/26C; humidity 39-40%)
1. Tara Davis-Woodhall (US) 23-3½ (7.10)
(22-9, 23-1¾, 22-9¾, 23-3½, 21-8¼, 21-11) (6.93, 7.05, 6.95, 7.10, 6.61, 6.68);
2. Malaika Mihambo (Ger) 22-10¾ (6.98)
(22-2½, 22-4¼, 22-9¾, f, 22-10¾, f) (6.77, 6.81, 6.95, f, 6.98, f);
3. Jasmine Moore (US) 22-10 (6.96)
(22-10, 22-8½, 21-8¾, 22-1¾, 22-7, 22-7) (6.96, 6.92, 6.62, 6.75, 6.88, 6.88);
4. Larissa Iapichino (Ita) 22-6½ (6.87)
(22-3, 22-6½, f, 22-5, 22-3, 22-5¾) (6.78, 6.87, f, 6.83, 6.78, 6.85);
5. Ese Brume (Ngr) 21-11¾ (6.70)
(f, 21-7½, 21-9, 21-11¾, 21-4¼, 21-11¾) (f, 6.59, 6.63, 6.70, 6.51, 6.70);
6. Monae’ Nichols (US) 21-10¾ (6.67)
(21-9½, f, 20-10½, 21-9, 21-10¾, 21-10¼) (6.64, f, 6.36, 6.63, 6.67, 6.66);
7. Alina Rotaru-Kottmann (Rom) 21-10¾ (6.67)
(21-2½, 21-2½, 21-10, 21-6, 21-10¾, 21-4) (6.46, 6.46, 6.65, 6.55, 6.67, 6.50);
8. Ackelia Smith (Jam) 21-10¼ (6.66)
(21-10¼, 21-4¾, f, 19-2¾, 21-0, 21-¾) (6.66, 6.52, f, 5.86, 6.40, 6.42);
9. Marthe Yasmine Koala (Bur) 21-8¼ (6.61)
(21-8¼, 21-4¼, 21-2½) (6.61, 6.51, 6.46);
10. Ruth Usoro (Ngr) 21-7¼ (6.58)
(21-7¼, f, 19-½) (6.58, f, 5.80);
11. Hilary Kpatcha (Fra) 21-6¼ (6.56)
(21-6¼, 18-2¼, 18-11¾) (6.56, 5.54, 5.78);
12. Prestina Ochonogor (Ngr) 20-5¾ (6.24)
(19-11, 20-5¾, 20-5¾) (6.07, 6.24, 6.24).
| * = progression of the leading jump; ¶ = athlete’s best of the day | |||
| first 3 rounds | |||
| Usoro | 6.58*¶ | f | 5.80 |
| Mihambo | 6.77* | 6.81 | 6.95 |
| Nichols | 6.64 | f | 6.36 |
| Smith | 6.66¶ | 6.52 | f |
| Iapichino | 6.78* | 6.87¶ | f |
| Rotaru-Kottmann | 6.46 | 6.46 | 6.65 |
| Davis-Woodhall | 6.93* | 7.05* | 6.95 |
| Brume | f | 6.59 | 6.63 |
| Kpatcha | 6.56¶ | 5.54 | 5.78 |
| Koala | 6.61¶ | 6.51 | 6.46 |
| Moore | 6.96*¶ | 6.92 | 6.62 |
| Ochonogor | 6.07 | 6.24¶ | 6.24 |
| rounds 4 & 5 | |||
| Brume | 6.70¶ | 6.51 | |
| Nichols | 6.63 | 6.67¶ | |
| Rotaru-Kottmann | 6.55 | 6.67¶ | |
| Smith | 5.86 | 6.40 | |
| Iapichino | 6.83 | 6.78 | |
| Mihambo | f | 6.98¶ | |
| Moore | 6.75 | 6.88 | |
| Davis-Woodhall | 7.10¶ | 6.61 | |
| last round | |||
| Smith | 6.42 | ||
| Nichols | 6.66 | ||
| Rotaru-Kottmann | 6.50 | ||
| Brume | 6.70 | ||
| Iapichino | 6.85 | ||
| Moore | 6.88 | ||
| Mihambo | f | ||
QUALIFYING (August 06; auto-qualifier 22-1¾/6.75)
Qualifiers: Davis-Woodhall 22-7¾ (6.90), Iapichino 22-6½ (6.87), Mihambo 22-6¼ (6.86), Brume 22-2¼ (6.76), Usoro 21-11 (6.68), Moore 21-10¼ (6.66), Ochonogor 21-10 (6.65), Nichols 21-9½ (6.64), Rotaru-Kottmann 21-9 (6.63), Smith, Koala & Kpatcha 21-7½ (6.59);
Non-qualifiers: Shiqi Xiong (Chn) 21-7¼ (6.58), Pauline Hondema (Neth) 21-6 (6.55), Fatima Diame (Spa) 21-4¾ (6.52), Ivana Španović (Ser) 21-4¼w (6.51), Chanice Porter (Jam) & Milica Gardašević (Ser) 21-3¼ (6.48), Plamena Mitkova (Bul) 21-2 (6.45), Laura Raquel Müller (Ger), Petra Beáta Banhidi-Farkas (Hun) & Natalia Linares (Col) 21-0 (6.40), Eliane Martins (Bra) 20-10½ (6.36), Agate De Sousa (Por) 20-9¾ (6.34), Brooke Buschkuehl (Aus), Sumire Hata (Jpn)& Nikola Horowska (Pol) 20-8½ (6.31), Mikaelle Assani (Ger) 20-5¾ (6.24), Esraa Owis (Egy) 20-4¼ (6.20), Tessy Ebosele (Spa) 19-11¾ (6.09), Lissandra Campos (Bra) 19-9 (6.02).