Cuban teenage star Juan Miguel Echevarria won the long jump at the Stockholm Diamond League meet on Sunday with a monstrous wind assisted 8.83 metres.
In front of a 15,000 crowd in the Olympic stadium, the World indoor champion produced his stunning leap on his sixth and final effort to come just 12-centimetres short of American Mike Powell’s 8.95m world record.
Despite the excessive tail wind meaning the jump won’t last in the record books, it brought gasps from the crowd and demonstrated the incredible potential of this 19-year-old, who is now reaching distances not seen in international long jump competitions for a decade.
World No.1 Luvo Manyonga of South Africa — beaten by two centimetres in March for the indoor World title — came a distant third with 8.25m. American Jeff Henderson was second with 8.39m.
Already, though, Echevarria has big ambitions on his mind. “I’m not thinking about nine metres. I’ll have to work very hard to achieve that, it’s an enormous barrier.”
Abderrahman Samba continued his stunning form in the 400m hurdles with a run of 47.41s to beat World champion Karsten Warholm of Norway (47.81s) into second.
Samba, a Mauritanian who now runs for Qatar, not only improved his personal best but also set a new Asian record. “I was looking for something special and I got it today,” said Samba, 22, who has four Diamond League wins from four this year.
In the 200m, world champion Ramil Guliyev, the Azerbaijan-born Turk, won in a time of 19.92s. World indoor 60m champion Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast was upset by Briton Dina Asher-Smith (10.93s) in the women’s 100m, though.
The results (winners only):
Men: 100m: Hassan Taftian (Iri) 10.07s; 200m: Ramil Quliyev (Aze) 19.92; 800m: Peter Bol (Aus) 1:44.56; 5000m: Gaseleon Barega (Eth) 13:04.05; 400m hurdles: Abderrahaman Samba (Qat) 47.41.
Long jump: Juan Miguel Echevarria (Cub) 8.83m; Pole vault: Armand Duplantis (Swe) 5.86m; Discus: Fedrick Dacres (Jam) 69.67m.
Women: 100m: Dina Asher-Smith (GBr) 10.93s; 400m: Salwa Eid Naser (Brn) 49.84; 800m: Shume Chaltu Regasa (Eth) 2:01.16; 1500m: Gudaf Tsegay (Eth) 3:57.64; 100m hurdles: Brianna Rollins (USA) 12.38.
High jump: Maria Kuchina (Rus) 2.00m; Long jump: Lorraine Ugen (GBr) 6.85; Pole vault: Sandi Morris (USA) 4.86 .
