2016 Olympic Games

Christian Taylor, Will Claye Repeat Olympic Gold, Silver in Triple Jump

Christian Taylor, Will Claye Repeat Olympic Gold, Silver in Triple Jump

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Aug 16, 2016 by Meg Bellino
Christian Taylor, Will Claye Repeat Olympic Gold, Silver in Triple Jump


Former University of Florida teammates Christian Taylor and Will Claye dominated the Olympic triple jump final this morning in Rio. Remarkably, the two repeated their results from the 2012 London Olympics: Taylor took gold in the long jump, and Claye earned silver in the triple jump.

Taylor won his second-consecutive Olympic gold medal in his first jump, which also established a world-leading mark of 17.86m and stands as the third-farthest leap in Olympic history.

Claye also secured his silver Olympic medal in his first jump when he soared to 17.76m, a new personal best. After the feat, Claye ran into the stadium's stands and proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Queen Harrison.

This is the sixth time that two Americans swept the top two triple jump medals. Per athletics stat master Ken Nakamura, the U.S. also swept in 1900, 1904, 1984, 1992; however, this is the first time that the same pair of athletes accomplished the feat.