A small chocolate bar in length separates the best in the world this year with a whole host of women capable of winning the gold. Here’s our women’s long jump preview for Tokyo.
Schedule
Sunday 1 August 01:50 UK Time (Qualification) Tuesday 3 August 02:50 UK Time (Final)
2021 Further Jumps
| 2021 Rankings | Distance | Athlete | Country |
| 1 | 7.17 | Ese Brume | Nigeria |
| 2 | 7.14 | Tara Davis | USA |
| 3 | 7.13 | Brittney Reese | USA |
| 4 | 7.08 | Chantel Malone | British Virgin Islands |
| 5 | 7.01 | Darya Klishina | Authorised Neutral Athlete |
| 6 | 7 | Kendell Williams | USA |
| 7 | 6.96 | Tyra Gittens | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 7 | 6.96 | Quanesha Burks | USA |
| 9 | 6.94 | Lorraine Ugen | GB & NI |
| 10 | 6.92 | Malaika Mihambo | Germany |
British interest
A full team heads to Tokyo. Abigail Irozuru, Jazmin Sawyers and Lorraine Ugen make up the squad. They are 38th, 11th and 9th on the world list. Ugen is a World Indoor bronze medalist from 2016 and has top fives in two outdoor World Champs. With the world list so tight this year she does have an outside chance of a medal. The same can be said for Jasmin Sawyers who has jumped 6.90 this year. Abigail Irozuru is seventh on World Athletics World Rankings, the same position she achieved in the Doha World Champs and can be put in the same boat.
The favourites
This competition is wide open and it is difficult to put a finger on who is favourite. Brittany Reese won silver in Rio behind Tianna Bartoletta who herself didn’t qualify for Tokyo with a ninth place at the US trials.
Ivana Spanovic may not have jumped a top ten time this year but she has three major medals, including Rio bronze and her experience could count in a tight field.
Ese Brume of Nigeria is the world lead and has jumped well this year. She will hope for some more consistency after her most recent third place in the American track league, as she hasn’t jumped past 6.8 metres in any other event.
The same can’t be said for Tara Davis who has jumped over 6.80 four times this year. The NCAA star will be in contention and will be gunning for gold.
Chantel Malone has jumped over seven metres four times this year (three times in wind legal conditions) and will be hoping to be the first Olympic medalist from the British Virgin Islands.
Darya Klishina could figure having jumped in excess of seven metres twice in three outings this year.
Our medal predictions
- Tara Davis
- Chantel Malone
- Ivana Spanovic
Records
WR: 7.52m Galina Chistyakova (1988)
OR: 7.40m Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1988 Seoul)
Featured image “Winning the long Jump” by col.hou is licensed under CC BY 2.0
