Olympics: USA's Bartoletta wins women's long jump gold
Tianna Bartoletta of the United States claimed gold in the Olympic women's long jump final.
RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Tianna Bartoletta of the United States upset compatriot and defending champion Brittney Reese to claim gold in the Olympic women s long jump final here on Wednesday.
Bartoletta, the reigning world champion, secured victory with her fifth jump, a monster leap of 7.17m to knock Reese out of first place.
Reese, who could only manage a best jump of 7.15m with her final attempt, won silver. Ivana Spanovic of Serbia took bronze with a national record of 7.08.
Bartoletta s career has undergone a remarkable resurgence in the past 12 months.
The 30-year-old announced her arrival on the long jumping scene way back in 2005 when she won the World Championships in Helsinki.
But that win was to herald a decade of disappointment for Bartoletta, which finally came to an end when she won gold at last year s worlds in Beijing.
Even so, she remained the underdog heading into Wednesday s final, with 2012 champion Reese in the best form of her career this season, having jumped a world leading 7.31m.
Reese, however, struggled to find her rhythm early on in the final, no-marking in three of her first four jumps before squeezing into the final rounds with a leap of 6.79m.
However, Reese looked ominously to have cranked up a gear when she produced a jump of 7.09 to take the lead on her fifth effort.
Bartoletta responded brilliantly, though, with her fifth jump, regaining the lead with a leap of 7.17.
With one jump left Reese could only manage 7.15 and Bartoletta had hung on for a fairytale gold.
