Tara Davis-Woodhall added the one major title that had eluded her to an already glittering CV, converting her Olympic form into world gold after bettering the field with her very first leap of the long jump final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on Sunday, September 14.
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo briefly threatened to turn the final into a classic duel but could not quite match Davis-Woodhall’s flying start. Davis-Woodhall opened with a strong 7.08m and, after a tense battle through the rounds, extended that to a winning 7.13m to take the title.
Full Results
- Tara DAVIS-WOODHALL (USA) — 7.13
- Malaika MIHAMBO (GER) — 6.99
- Natalia LINARES (COL) — 6.92
- Hilary KPATCHA (FRA) — 6.82
- Claire BRYANT (USA) — 6.68
- Agate DE SOUSA (POR) — 6.67
- Pauline HONDEMA (NED) — 6.60
- Quanesha BURKS (USA) — 6.60
- Maja ÅSKAG (SWE) — 6.49
- Marthe KOALA (BUR) — 6.49
- Esraa OWIS (EGY) — 6.37
- Chantel MALONE (IVB) — 6.33
Davis-Woodhall repeatedly roared with delight to supporters in the stands, including her husband and coach, as she sensed that a single legal, big effort might be enough. Mihambo, a two-time world champion, had an uneven start (an early 6.60m that left her clearly frustrated) but improved through the rounds with a sequence that peaked at 6.99m and included a pair of over-seven attempts that were later red-flagged.
The bronze went to Colombia’s Natalia Linares, the 2022 world U20 silver medallist, who produced a fourth-round personal best of 6.92m to secure her first senior global championship medal. France’s Hilary Kpatcha, one of only a couple of athletes in the season with marks around seven metres, finished fourth with 6.82m, just outside the podium places.
At 26, Davis-Woodhall’s victory cements her position at the forefront of the event, extending an unbeaten run stretching back more than two years and coming just two centimetres short of the mark that won her Olympic gold in Paris.
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