BEIJING - “It wasn’t intentional, but at the same time I do enjoy putting on a show,” Christian Taylor said with a smile after winning triple jump gold at the 2015 IAAF World Championships.

Winning was intentional for Taylor, who won Olympic gold in 2012 and World gold in 2011. The way in which Taylor won, however, made it that much sweeter.

Taylor and Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo had been trading Diamond League wins all season and came into the World Championships as the only two jumpers over 18m. It was the Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin rivalry of the field events, and the showdown went as promised.

Taylor’s first attempt was 16.85m, a leap that would not have even won the NCAA title this year. He shot up in the ranks with 17.49m and then 17.60m, the latter tying him with Pichardo. Taylor moved into first with 17.68m on his fourth attempt and remained there until Pichardo responded with 17.73m on his sixth and final attempt.

“Pichardo is a phenomenal jumper and I knew that if it wasn’t over 18m, it was his for the taking,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t the last jumper, so I knew I had to do something special.”

On sixth and final attempt, Taylor soared to 18.21m, a new American record and the second farthest jump of all time.

“Sometimes I don’t think so technically, I just react,” Taylor said, who switched his take-off leg from left to right in 2014, said of his final jump. “When these guys jump so far, it pushes me to unwind and let it happen.”

The mark is extremely impressive considering Jonathan Edwards’ world record from 1995 is 18.29m and Taylor looked to have plenty more room on the board.

“It just shows you, that even on my best jump ever, it just shows you how far that distance truly is,” Taylor said on Edwards' long standing record.

Even with his second World Championship gold to his name, Taylor’s season isn’t over yet. He will compete in the long jump in at the Zurich Diamond League (“My coach doesn’t know,” Taylor said with a laugh) then fight for the Diamond League race with Pichardo in Brussels.

“When you have such a high performance, it can kind of be a little difficult to compete next,” Taylor said. “I have to try and steal the Diamond League away from him.” Currently Pichardo stands in first with 16 points. Taylor is close behind with 14.