Nettey just misses long jump podium
First leap was her best as top three go over 7 metres to win medals
The highlights of the women’s long jump were being replayed on the TV screens in the media mixed zone, and Christabel Nettey paused briefly to watch, chin on hands.
The 24-year-old from Surrey, B.C., had just finished fourth, missing the medal podium by six centimetres in her first world championship final.
And while she’s had a spectacular season that included a pair of Canadian records, and an improvement of a whopping 26 centimetres, that was of little consolation at the Bird’s Nest stadium Friday night.
“I was feeling really confident, and the fact that I couldn’t respond and move with the girls is kind of disappointing. And fourth place is really hard,” she said.
Nettey, who won last month’s Pan American Games, soared 6.95 metres on her first of six jumps. Known for coming up big late in the competition, she appeared poised for the podium and a big mark.
But that first jump would stand up as her best of the night.
American Tianna Bartoletta, who had won the world title 10 years earlier as a 19-year-old, claimed the gold with a huge leap of 7.14 metres on her final attempt. Great Britain’s Shara Proctor leaped 7.07 to win silver, while Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic jumped 7.01 for bronze.
Canada had never had a finalist in the event at the world championships. But when Nettey, who did both long jump and hurdles in college at Arizona State University, flew to a national record 6.99 metres in May, she launched herself into the spotlight with the best jump in the world at the time. It was a massive improvement over last season.
Nettey, who competed in a rhinestone headband befitting her Twitter handle — @queenchristabel — has been one of the world’s most consistent jumpers all season, and arrived in Beijing ranked No. 2 in the world.
But by the third round Friday night, it was clear she would need to be at her absolute best.
Damian Warner, the 25-year-old decathlete from London, Ont., sat second after Day 1 behind Olympic champion and world record-holder Ashton Eaton of the U.S. Warner’s score of 4,530 is 70 points ahead of where he was after Day 1 at the Pan Am Games, where he broke Mike Smith’s 19-year-old national record.
Day 2 has the 110-metre hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1,500 metres.
High jumper Derek Drouin of Corunna, Ont. cleared 2.31 metres on his first attempt in qualifying and was one of three jumpers on the day with no misses to advance to Sunday’s final.
Javelin thrower Liz Gleadle tossed 64.02 on her first attempt to hit the qualifying mark for the final. “Came here with a plan: Throw far. Do it once. And leave. Eat some food, get some sleep and be ready for the final,” said the 26-year-old from Vancouver. “I did it, so everything’s according to plan.”
Rachel Seaman of Peterborough, Ont., finished 13th in the women’s 20k racewalk, the best finish in the event by a Canadian at the worlds.