• World Athletics Championships

Gold snatched from Idowu's grasp

ESPN staff
September 4, 2011
Phillips Idowu was unable to defend his triple jump title © Getty Images
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Defending champion Phillips Idowu was forced to settle for silver in the men's triple jump after being outjumped by American Christian Taylor.

Idowu, bidding to become the first Briton to successfully defend a world title, looked to be firmly on course for victory after a first-round leap of 17.56m, and he bettered that with 17.70m in the third round.

However, his lead was ripped from his grasp after a monster fourth-round leap from Taylor, who produced a lifetime best of 17.96m, the third-best jump in history.

Idowu desperately tried to respond, jumping a season's best of 17.77m, just 4cm short of his lifetime best, but it was to no avail. Bronze went to American Will Claye, who finished ninth in the long jump final on Friday.

In the women's 800m, another defending champion, Caster Semenya, failed to defend her title after she was outsprinted by Russia's Mariya Savinova.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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