Summary
Defending champion Christian Taylor (the #2 jumper of all time) did not participate due to injury, nor did 2016 bronze medalist Dong Bin. However, the field returned the 2016 silver medalist Will Claye (#3 of all time), Pedro Pichardo (#5 of all time), and Hugues Fabrice Zango, who had set the indoor world record 4 months prior. All had jumped over 18 metres. Taylor and Claye had also achieved gold and silver at the most recent World Championships, with Zango as the bronze medalist. Since the previous Olympics in April 2018, Pichardo had defected from Cuba and was now jumping for Portugal.
Four athletes managed to exceed 17 metres in the first round. Claye was first down the runway with a 17.19m. Five jumpers later, Pichardo established himself as the leader with 17.61m, Donald Scott moved onto the podium with a 17.15m, and Yasser Triki moved into second at 17.30m, breaking his own Algerian national record. Of the jumpers with a legal first attempt, Zango found himself in dead last place with at 15.91m. Leading off the second round, Claye landed his feet somewhere close to Pichardo's mark but dropped his elbow further back. He turned around to find that effort was a foul. A couple of jumps later, Zhu Yaming landed in the same area for 17.41m, to move into second place. Pichardo duplicated his 17.61m and Triki produced a second national record 17.42m to take back his position. With a 16.83m, Zango improved but still found himself in 9th place, in danger of being eliminated before the final three jumps.
Claye led off the third round with a 17.44m to move back into a podium position. Pichardo expanded his lead with a Portuguese national record 17.98 m (58 ft 11+3⁄4 in). Knowing he had hit a big one (equalling the #17 jump of all time), Pichardo posed and held up a fist while still lying in the pit. Under pressure, Zango gritted his teeth and pounded out a 17.47m bursting the bubble and moving into second place.
Nobody was able to improve through the finals except in the fifth round when Zhu jumped 17.57m to put himself into the silver medal. Triki's third national record of the competition, 17.43m couldn't move him back to the podium.
Qualification
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter up to 3 qualified athletes in the men's triple jump event if all athletes meet the entry standard or qualify by ranking during the qualifying period. (The limit of 3 has been in place since the 1930 Olympic Congress.) The qualifying standard is 17.14 metres. This standard was "set for the sole purpose of qualifying athletes with exceptional performances unable to qualify through the IAAF World Rankings pathway." The world rankings, based on the average of the best five results for the athlete over the qualifying period and weighted by the importance of the meet, will then be used to qualify athletes until the cap of 32 is reached. [2] [4]
The qualifying period was originally from 1 May 2019 to 29 June 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the period was suspended from 6 April 2020 to 30 November 2020, with the end date extended to 29 June 2021. The world rankings period start date was also changed from 1 May 2019 to 30 June 2020; athletes who had met the qualifying standard during that time were still qualified, but those using world rankings would not be able to count performances during that time. The qualifying time standards could be obtained in various meets during the given period that have the approval of the IAAF. Both outdoor and indoor meets are eligible. The most recent Area Championships may be counted in the ranking, even if not during the qualifying period. [2] [5]
NOCs can also use their universality place—each NOC can enter one male athlete regardless of time if they had no male athletes meeting the entry standard for an athletics event—in the triple jump. [2]
Entry number: 32.
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