Christian Taylor sails to a fourth world title in Doha (© AFP/Getty Images)
Christian Taylor, double Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion in the triple jump, retired from international athletics after competing at the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville on Friday (19).
The 34-year-old US athlete is one of the most successful triple jumpers in history, having won seven global titles in the event during an international career that dates back to 2007, while his PB of 18.21m remains the second-best jump of all time.
Taylor’s ability to raise his game for the big occasion was evident from his first international event, the 2007 World U18 Championships in Ostrava. He contested both horizontal jumps, and set PBs in the qualifying and finals for both, taking triple jump gold (15.98m) and long jump bronze (7.29m).
He attempted the same double at the next year’s World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz. Although he missed out on medals in both events, he showed his versatility by winning gold in the 4x400m at the end of the championships.
At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, on what was his senior global championships debut, Taylor won the triple jump title. Aged just 21 at the time, he added 28 centimetres to his PB with his winning leap of 17.96m.
He started 2012 by taking world indoor silver in Istanbul behind compatriot and former college rival Will Claye. Those positions were reversed at the Olympic Games later that year, though, as Taylor struck gold with a world-leading 17.81m.
In 2015 Taylor joined the elusive 18-metre club, though when he first broke that barrier, he had to settle for second place. His jump of 18.04m at the Diamond League meeting in Doha was ‘only’ good enough for second place behind Pedro Pichardo’s 18.06m.
The duo went on to enjoy a great rivalry throughout that season with Taylor gaining revenge in Lausanne, 18.06m to Pichardo’s 17.99m. Taylor once again came out on top at the World Championships in Beijing, producing a last-round leap of 18.21m to break the North American record and move to second on the world all-time list, just eight centimetres behind Jonathan Edwards’ world record.
Taylor successfully defended his triple jump title at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, leaping 17.86m, and then retained his world title in London one year later with 17.68m.
He won his fourth and final world triple jump title in Doha in 2019 with 17.92m, once again producing his best jump of the year when it matters most.
Persistent achilles issues cut short Taylor’s 2021 season and prevented him from defending his Olympic title in Tokyo. His final appearance at a global event came at the 2022 World Championships, where he was able to make use of his wild card entry as defending champion.
Not only was Taylor a formidable championship performer, he was also consistent on the international circuit, underlined by his seven Diamond League titles between 2012 and 2019.
“I just strive to be the best athlete I can be,” said Taylor after his final performance in Gainesville where he finished fifth with 16.14m. “I just want to be a good person and a good role model. I couldn’t have asked for a better career or a better journey.”