Action from the women's triple jump (© Getty Images)
In a field where the leading five athletes are separated by just 16cm, it’s anyone’s guess who will reign supreme in Nairobi and take the girls’ triple jump title. The leading three entrants span the width of the globe, with Bulgaria’s Aleksandra Nacheva, Cuba’s Zulia Hernandez and China’s Pan Youqi boasting the longest jumps this season.
Of those, Nacheva has the best mark, her 13.22m helping her to victory at the Balkan Youth Championships in Istanbul last month. Earlier in the year the 15-year-old surpassed 13 metres for the first time when jumping 13.03m indoors on home turf.
Hernandez is not far behind, however, with a best of 13.14m which she jumped in Havana back in February. Pan has a best of 13.07m, as does Romania’s Diana Ana Maria Ion. Slovenia’s Eva Pepelnak, a 13.06m jumper this year, will also be eyeing a podium finish, as will France’s Victoria Josse and Brazil’s Nerisnelia Sousa.
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF
