Taylor hunting down record again - at altitude

Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor will target the world record on Wednesday at altitude in the French Alps, just a week after coming up short in the same bid at the IAAF World Championships.

The American did enough to hold off his compatriot Will Claye to take gold in London, but his winning effort of 17.68 metres was well down on his personal best of 18.21m, and Briton Jonathan Edwards' 22-year-old world record of 18.29m.

Taylor has long been tipped to beat Edwards' mark, and he will try again at 3,032 metres above sea level in Tignes.

"It's been 22 years, so you know how difficult this mark is," the 27-year-old Taylor told AFP.

"My best is 18.21 and my all-time best. When I thought 'this is my moment', it was still too short. This shows me how crazy this distance is.

"For me, 17.68m is not so far. It's not what I went there for. I wanted 18 metres, if I jumped 18m in London, this would be very difficult, emotionally and physically, it takes so much."

Competing at altitude has long been thought to give athletes, especially jumpers, an advantage.

For example, Bob Beamon set his long-time world record in the long jump of 8.90m in 1968 at 2,250m above sea level in Mexico City.

But Taylor insists he would consider a record set on a specially-made jumping track in France as legitimate.

"We have officials, they've done everything for it to be appropriate," he added.

"If the distance comes, I will know I have passed the world record. The 'A' mention (for altitude) from the IAAF on the best marks is not a problem for me."

South Africa's long jump world champion Luvo Manyonga will also be attempting to break his event's world record on Wednesday, the 8.95m effort by Mike Powell back in 1991.

Source: AFP