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BEIJING – The star-studded triple jump final at the IAAF World Championships lived up to its billing, and former Florida track and field standout Christian Taylor shined brighter than anyone else. On his sixth and final attempt, Taylor, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, leapt a whopping 18.21 meters (59' 9”), recording the second-longest jump of all time and shattering the American record of 18.09 meters (59' 4.25”) to claim his second world title.

Taylor—who became the youngest man to win the triple jump with his first title at the 2011 World Championships—came within eight centimeters of dethroning Jonathan Edwards, who could only watch as his world record of 18.29 meters, set at the 1995 World Championships, received its first legitimate scare. Had Taylor actually utilized the entire take-off board, he may have had enough distance to break it.

Of the 10 World Championships men's triple jump multiple medalists, the Fayetteville, Ga. native is just the second in history to collect a pair of gold medals. Edwards is the only other man who has accomplished that feat.

Fellow former Gator Omar Craddock also competed in the triple jump final, taking fourth place with a top mark of 17.37 meters (57' 0”). Portugal's Nelson Evora, the last man who could've knocked Craddock off the podium, leapt a season-best 17.52 meters (57' 5.75”) on his final attempt to steal the bronze medal.

In the women's 400 meters final, Jamaican sprinter Novlene Williams-Mills ran her season-best time (50.47 seconds) for a third consecutive race. She took sixth place, with all three medalists breaking the 50-second barrier.

Great Britain's Shara Proctor extended her time in Beijing with a mark of 6.68 meters in long jump qualifying. This will be the third World Championships long jump final in five tries for the British record holder.

TAYLOR'S WORLD-LEADING JUMP

·         Video: Taylor's 18.21-meter jump

·         Video: Taylor's post-competition interview

·         All-time triple jump world list

·         Taylor's final jump was just the third 18-meter mark ever recorded at the World Championships

·         Of the 10 18-meter jumps in world history, Taylor owns three—all in 2015

·         Taylor's 18.21-meter mark was the longest in competition since Kenny Harrison set the previous American record at the 1996 Olympics

·         Taylor joins Mike Conley, Walter Davis and former Gator Will Claye as the only American men to medal at least twice in the World Championships triple jump

TAYLOR'S QUOTES OF NOTE

On his 18.21-meter jump: “Slowly, I'm climbing up the all-time list. I saw that (Pedro P.) Pichardo wasn't jumping as usual. I feed off that. Every time my coach said, 'Look, look, this is it. Just do you, and control yourself and control your emotions.' Once I saw that I didn't think he had any more in the tank … everything just came together in that last jump.”

On his immediate reaction to the jump: “I didn't look at anything. I heard the crowd go crazy. To see that there's still more in the tank, still more to come, it's very exciting for me, and shows that record is even closer now.”

On Jonathan Edwards likely paying attention to his future jumps: “I have so much respect for (world record holder Jonathan Edwards). I'm only going to keep working harder, and this is what it's about. Rio 2016 now.”

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