TOKYO (Reuters) -American Tara Davis-Woodhall leaped 7.13 metres for a dominant victory in the long jump final at the world championships on Sunday, adding the world title to the Olympic crown she won last year.
Davis-Woodhall, who has not lost a long jump competition since finishing second at the last world championships, laid down a marker with an opening jump of 7.08m, a leap none of her rivals was able to match.
The 26-year-old improved her mark by five centimetres with her fourth jump to all but assure herself of the title.
“Right now I want to hug everyone,” she said. “It’s awesome to have this medal around my neck. Beside the Olympics, the world championships is the main goal in track and field.
“I knew that jumping over seven metres shouldn’t be a problem for me today. I feel a lot of joy.”
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, who won the 2019 and 2022 world titles and finished second behind Davis-Woodhall in Paris last year, took silver with a best jump of 6.99m, while bronze went to Colombian Natalia Linares with a personal best leap of 6.92m.
Mihambo, Olympic champion in the same National Stadium in 2021, gradually improved over the competition from 6.92m to 6.95m and then 6.99m, but her hopes of gold ended with two no jumps.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Clare Fallon)
