Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia competes in the Women's Triple Jump qualification on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 3, 2012 (© Getty Images)
World Indoor champion Yamile Aldama now recovered from the early season shoulder injury which she picked up at May's Samsung Diamond League meeting in Rome, was the first athlete to automatically clear the 14.40m qualifying distance.
Cuban-born Aldama who finished fourth for the country of her birth at the 2000 Sydney Games then transferring nationality to Sudan was fifth in Athens four years later and now represents Great Britain, cleared 14.45m in the first round with a following wind of +1.8m/s.
Aldama who has lived in the UK since 2001 and became a citizen in February 2010, thrilled to be wearing a Team GB vest in front of a massive home crowd, said: "I have waited a long time for this. I have never known anything like it."
The 39-year-old veteran who can see the Olympic stadium from her home added, "It was amazing, especially for qualifying. We are normally used to jumping in an empty stadium but it is full."
Kimberly Williams in the same 'A' group and fifth when Aldama won her World Indoor gold medal in March was the only other competitor to hit the qualifier with her first attempt - and she did it in a very positive style.
The 23-year-old Jamaican champion thrust her frame out to a distance of 14.53m - an improvement of one centimetre on the personal best she set when fifth at the SDL meet in Rome's Olympic Stadium where Aldama suffered her injury setback.
In windy conditions the best leap of the day came from last year's World silver medallist Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan who on the verge of elimination kept her nerve and cleared a season's best of 14.79m with her final attempt.
All of the other big names went into Sunday's final although not achieving the automatic distance including reigning World champion Olga Saladukha of the Ukraine and the stalwart Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia - already holder of two silver and a bronze medal - who produced best efforts of 14.35m and 14.30m.
A noteworthy was produced by Trecia Smith a former World champion and fourth at the Athens Games eight years ago. She joined Aldama her former London flat-mate and training partner in the final with an encouraging season's best of 14.31m in round two.
The 36-year-old Jamaican record holder injury free for the first time in over a year after damaging her Achilles in a freak supermarket accident when a fellow customer pushed a trolley into her heel, improved on her season's best of 14.05m.
Colombia's World bronze medallist Caterine Ibarguen had a best effort of 14.42m while two-time World champion Yargelis Savigne fifth in Beijing four years ago also went through clearing 14.28m.
David Martin for IAAF
Cuban-born Aldama who finished fourth for the country of her birth at the 2000 Sydney Games then transferring nationality to Sudan was fifth in Athens four years later and now represents Great Britain, cleared 14.45m in the first round with a following wind of +1.8m/s.
Aldama who has lived in the UK since 2001 and became a citizen in February 2010, thrilled to be wearing a Team GB vest in front of a massive home crowd, said: "I have waited a long time for this. I have never known anything like it."
The 39-year-old veteran who can see the Olympic stadium from her home added, "It was amazing, especially for qualifying. We are normally used to jumping in an empty stadium but it is full."
Kimberly Williams in the same 'A' group and fifth when Aldama won her World Indoor gold medal in March was the only other competitor to hit the qualifier with her first attempt - and she did it in a very positive style.
The 23-year-old Jamaican champion thrust her frame out to a distance of 14.53m - an improvement of one centimetre on the personal best she set when fifth at the SDL meet in Rome's Olympic Stadium where Aldama suffered her injury setback.
In windy conditions the best leap of the day came from last year's World silver medallist Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan who on the verge of elimination kept her nerve and cleared a season's best of 14.79m with her final attempt.
All of the other big names went into Sunday's final although not achieving the automatic distance including reigning World champion Olga Saladukha of the Ukraine and the stalwart Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia - already holder of two silver and a bronze medal - who produced best efforts of 14.35m and 14.30m.
A noteworthy was produced by Trecia Smith a former World champion and fourth at the Athens Games eight years ago. She joined Aldama her former London flat-mate and training partner in the final with an encouraging season's best of 14.31m in round two.
The 36-year-old Jamaican record holder injury free for the first time in over a year after damaging her Achilles in a freak supermarket accident when a fellow customer pushed a trolley into her heel, improved on her season's best of 14.05m.
Colombia's World bronze medallist Caterine Ibarguen had a best effort of 14.42m while two-time World champion Yargelis Savigne fifth in Beijing four years ago also went through clearing 14.28m.
David Martin for IAAF
