Reigning champion Christian Taylor retained his Olympic triple jump title on Tuesday, the American comfortably seeing off his rivals in the Rio sunshine. The 26-year-old world champion set a season's best 17.86 metres with his first leap, good enough for gold as compatriot Will Claye took silver in a repeat of their positions in London four years ago.
Claye, who beat Taylor at the US Olympic trials, pushed hard to overturn Taylor's advantage, fouling on a big third jump which nibbled the 18-metre line. Claye's top effort was a personal best of 17.76. But Taylor, prowling the track and muttering furiously to himself between jumps, proved too strong, also recording two jumps of 17.77 which would also have been enough for gold.
World indoor champion Dong Bin took bronze to give China a first Olympic triple jump medal, leaping to another PB of 17.58, like the two Americans also on his first attempt. Dong's countryman Cao Shuo, the reigning Asian Games champion, finished fourth in 17.13 with Colombia's John Murillo fifth (17.09). Portugal's Nelson Evora, who won gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, finished sixth with a best of 17.03, the only other man to jump over 17 metres.
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