United States teenager Tianna Madison stunned her more experienced rivals by taking the women’s long-jump title at the world athletics championships in Finland on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old jumped 6,89m in her first major championships to beat Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Kotova of Russia (6,79m) while defending champion Eunice Barber of France took the bronze (6,76m).
While Madison’s winning jump was the shortest in the championships history it was understandable given the wet and windy conditions.
”I didn’t have any pressure coming here so it was easy to focus,” she said.
”I felt very confident for the final because I have had both good physical and mental training.”
She promised there was more to come.
”I am young and the sky is the only limit for me!”
Madison produced her winning leap in the penultimate round demoting long-time leader Kotova to second while Barber moved into third ahead of Cuba’s triple jump silver medallist Yargelis Savigne with a wind assisted jump in the final round.
Kotova said the weather had been disconcerting to say the least, though, she added she could have coped if she had had one of her country’s best known products with her.
”I was hoping to have a bottle of vodka to warm me up,” said the 28-year-old 2002 European champion.
”At least I fought to the end and I always believed I could take the gold but sadly it wasn’t to be.”
For Barber it was her second medal of the championships having taken silver in the heptathlon after a thrilling duel with Sweden’s Carolina Kluft.
The Sierra Leone-born all-rounder confessed that she wouldn’t have minded a rest day.
”It was a tough competition and to be honest I wouldn’t have minded a rest day between qualifying and the final after doing the heptathlon … but such is life.
”However I have to say that I am happy with the bronze even if I feel I could have done better.
”I went for broke in the fifth round and took the risk but I fouled. That is the way top competition goes,” said the 30-year-old, who also took heptathlon gold in 1999.
India’s Commonwealth Games and 2003 world championships bronze medallist Anju Bobby George threatened to take a medal at one point before finishing fifth with a best of 6,89m.
Madison’s victory came in the absence of the injured gold and silver medallists from the Olympics, Kotova’s compatriots Tatyana Lebedeva and Irina Simigina. – Sapa-AFP