Phillips Idowu on his way to Triple Jump victory at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix – Samsung Diamond League (© Mark Shearman)
Defending champion Phillips Idowu’s path to becoming the first man to successfully retain this title have been eased following the season-ending injury to the world leader Teddy Tamgho.
The French athlete, who leapt a monster 17.91m to beat Idowu in Lausanne in June, looked set for a serious tilt at the World outdoor crown to add to his World indoor gold. However, a broken ankle suffered at the European Under-23 Championships put a premature end to his season.
In his absence, Idowu, who is also the European champion, will undoubtedly start pre-event favourite. He has developed a reputation as an outstanding performer on the big stage and has won five out of seven events this season.
However, his longest leap in 2011 (17.59m) is only good enough for only fifth on the World Lists and he placed a disappointing third with a modest 17.07m in London – his last outing before Daegu.
The unheralded Sheryf El-Sheryf advanced his personal best by more than half-a-metre to land a shock victory at the European Under-23 Championships in Ostrava and has put himself in the frame as a potential medallist.
The Ukrainian leapt a world-class 17.72m in the Czech Republic, although a subsequent 16.67m distance for eighth in Monaco on 22 July was less impressive.
Men’s triple jumping in the U.S. may have suffered a few fallow years but it is enjoying a resurgence this year thanks for the efforts of two relative youngsters. Christian Taylor, 21, a former World Youth champion landed both the NCAA and US titles in June but it was perhaps his performance when winning in London with a personal best of 17.68m which best demonstrated his medal potential.
His teammate Will Claye is another rising talent. Aged just 20 he posted a personal best of 17.35m to finish runner-up behind Taylor at the NCAA Championships and such is his versatility he also compete in the Long Jump in Daegu.
The third string U.S. challenger Walter Davis (17.02m) should not be discounted either after landing this title six years ago in Helsinki.
Cuban triple jumpers have a rich tradition and 2009 World bronze medallist Alexis Copello leads a powerful three-man team. Copello broke the sand at 17.68m in Avila for a season’s best performance and a 17.30m jump for second in Monaco reaffirmed his ability to threaten the medal podium again.
He is joined by David Girat (17.29m), the 2010 World indoor bronze medallist, and the two-time former World silver medallist Yoandris Betanzos (17.23m) who are both more than capable of excelling.
Olympic champion and the 2007 world gold medallist Nelson Evora was well below par for much of the season but an encouraging season’s best of 17.31m to claim the World University title in Shenzhen on 18 August indicates his form is heading in the right direction.
Another former World champion struggling to find his best is the 2003 gold medallist Christian Olsson. The Swedish champion recorded a season’s best of 17.29m in Rome but he remains a fierce competitor.
Romania’s Marian Oprea (17.19m), the 2010 European silver medallist, should never be underestimated and look out for veteran Fabrizio Donato (17.17m). The European Indoor silver medallist leads Italy’s hopes while his teammate Fabrizio Schembri (17.08m), the European Team Championship winner, will also hope to impress.
Among the other entrants include: Leevan Sands (17.13) the Olympic bronze medallist of the Bahamas, and Nigeria’s Tosin Oke (17.21m).
Steve Landells for the IAAF
