Teddy Tamgho
Encyclopedia
Teddy Tamgho is a French
triple jump
er. He is the third best ever triple jumper in all conditions with a mark of 17.98 metres from the Adidas Grand Prix in June 2010.
His first win came at the World Junior Championships
and he reached the final of the World Championships in Athletics the following year. He came to prominence with a world indoor record of 17.90 m to win at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
. He was the triple jump winner of 2010 IAAF Diamond League
and bronze medallist at the 2010 European Athletics Championships.
, France
, he became interested in athletics as a young boy growing up in the commune
of Sevran
. He began representing Dynamic Aulnay Club in triple jump
competitions from the age of 13. His first championship appearance came at the 2007 European Junior Championships
and he just missed out on the podium, taking fourth, but still managed a personal best jump of 16.35 m. He began to establish himself the following year, first by setting a national junior record in January and then by setting a mark of 16.94 metres at the French Indoor Championships—a jump which made him the second best junior triple jumper on the all-time indoor lists, just behind Volker Mai
. Tamgho stated that his run-up speed was his strong point and that his success was a result of working with his coach, Jean-Hervé Stievenart, and training partners Karl Taillepierre
and Benjamin Compaoré
.
Going into the outdoor season, he took to the global stage at the 2008 World Junior Championships
with the aim of taking the gold and achieving the standard of 17.13 m to make the 2008 French Olympic team
. He won the competition with a jump of 17.33 m, but the mark was wind-aided
(2.1 m/s) just outside the legal limit and he still needed to achieve the standard in legal wind conditions. He failed to repeat his form at the outdoor French championships, and was fourth in 16.79 m—far behind the event winner Jules Lechanga. Tamgho did not achieve the requisite mark in time for the team selection and Colomba Fofana
took the only berth.
Starting to work under the tutelage of Stievenart and Laurence Bily
, Tamgho started the 2009 indoor season with notable improvements, beating his former 16.94 m best three times consecutively in Mondeville
that February to end up with a best of 17.37 m. He improved further later that month at the Meeting SEAT with a jump of 17.58 m—and under-23 world best and one centimetre short of French senior record. Driven on by a foul jump near the 17.80 m mark at that same meeting, he jumped 17.44 m for his first national title at the 2009 French Indoor Championships. He was competing with an injury, however, and took the two weeks building up to the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships as recovery time. At the championships he opened with a jump under 16 metres and fouled his remaining two jumps, thus being eliminated in the qualifiers despite being one of the event favourites.
At the start of the outdoor season he lined up against Olympic silver medallist Phillips Idowu
at the Meeting Areva in Paris. While Idowu jumped 17.17 m for the victory, Tamgho was some distance from his top form and jumped 16.97 m for fifth place. He confirmed himself as the nation's top triple jumper later that month by winning his first senior outdoor title with 17.11 m—enough to earn him qualification to the World Championships. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
in August, Tamgho qualified for the final with a jump of 17.11 m in the qualifiers. He did not improve in the final round, however, and finished tenth with his sole legal jump of the round being 16.79 m.
, he took an early lead in the final with a jump of 17.41 m, but Yoandri Betanzos
surprised him with a 17.69 m personal best in the first round. He initially thought a lesser jump would have been enough to secure the title, but following the Cuba
n's jump he said "I had to react and give it all". After a couple of fouls and two more jumps past the 17-metre mark, Tamgho had one final jump left to overhaul Betanzos. On his last attempt, he jumped seven centimetres clear of the world record mark (jointly held by Aliecer Urrutia
and Christian Olsson
) to record a new world indoor record of 17.90 m. He said he thought his previous season had been flawed, but that he had now grown stronger and matured, following advice from fellow competitors Jadel Gregório
and Phillips Idowu
to take competitions in a calmer manner.
His good form continued into the outdoor season and he recorded a series of five jumps over 17 metres at the French Club National Championships, highlighted by a world leading jump of 17.63 m (a French record
). Following a wind-aided jump of 17.63 m two weeks later in Montreuil
, he attended the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City
. At his first Diamond League
meeting, he jumped 17.60 m in the third round, and improved a centimetre further with the next jump before setting a personal best of 17.84 m to take the lead. Having already secured victory, he pushed even further with his final attempt to jump 17.98 m, making himself the third best jumper on the all-time lists behind Jonathan Edwards
and Kenny Harrison. Three days before his 21st birthday, Tamgho had achieved the longest triple jump for over a decade. He won at the French Outdoor Championships, but had to contend with a right calf cramp en-route to victory. He was ruled out of the Paris Diamond League meeting due to injury and had not jumped in training in the build up to the 2010 European Athletics Championships, but he managed to clear 17.45 m to take the bronze medal, his first medal at the competition. Wins at the DN Galan
and Memorial Van Damme
final made him the inaugural Diamond League triple jump champion. He announced a change of coach at the end of the season, starting work with four-time world champion Iván Pedroso
. He was recognised as the European Athletics Rising Star of the Year for his breakthrough year.
He started 2011 in similarly strong form as he improved his world indoor record by a centimetre to win at the French Indoor Championships. He increased his record one centimetre further at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships
, clearing 17.92 m on two occasions, to take the gold medal with a world record mark in front of the home crowd in Paris.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
er. He is the third best ever triple jumper in all conditions with a mark of 17.98 metres from the Adidas Grand Prix in June 2010.
His first win came at the World Junior Championships
2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2008 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz in Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 8 and 13 July 2008....
and he reached the final of the World Championships in Athletics the following year. He came to prominence with a world indoor record of 17.90 m to win at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
. He was the triple jump winner of 2010 IAAF Diamond League
2010 IAAF Diamond League
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
and bronze medallist at the 2010 European Athletics Championships.
Early life
Born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, he became interested in athletics as a young boy growing up in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Sevran
Sevran
Sevran is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Immigration:-Culture:Sevran is home to an important music and dance school, the Espace François Mauriac, also known as the conservatoire de Sevran...
. He began representing Dynamic Aulnay Club in triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
competitions from the age of 13. His first championship appearance came at the 2007 European Junior Championships
2007 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships is the 2007 version of the European Athletics Junior Championships. It was held from 19 July to 22 July at the FBK-Stadium in Hengelo, in the eastern Netherlands.- Men :- Women :- Medals table :...
and he just missed out on the podium, taking fourth, but still managed a personal best jump of 16.35 m. He began to establish himself the following year, first by setting a national junior record in January and then by setting a mark of 16.94 metres at the French Indoor Championships—a jump which made him the second best junior triple jumper on the all-time indoor lists, just behind Volker Mai
Volker Mai
Volker Mai is a triple jumper who represented East Germany. Representing SC Neubrandenburg, he holds the current world junior record with 17.50 metres, achieved on 23 June 1985 in Erfurt. -Achievements:-References:...
. Tamgho stated that his run-up speed was his strong point and that his success was a result of working with his coach, Jean-Hervé Stievenart, and training partners Karl Taillepierre
Karl Taillepierre
Karl Taillepierre is a French triple jumper.His personal best jump is 17.45 metres, achieved in July 2005 in Angers. This result places him second on the all-time French performers list, behind Serge Hélan....
and Benjamin Compaoré
Benjamin Compaoré
Benjamin Compaoré is a French triple jumper..-Achievements:-References:...
.
Going into the outdoor season, he took to the global stage at the 2008 World Junior Championships
2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2008 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz in Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 8 and 13 July 2008....
with the aim of taking the gold and achieving the standard of 17.13 m to make the 2008 French Olympic team
France at the 2008 Summer Olympics
-Medalists:- Diving:MenNo CompetitorsWomen- Swimming:France will be represented by 35 swimmers, including Alain Bernard and Laure Manaudou.MenWomen- Synchronised Swimming:...
. He won the competition with a jump of 17.33 m, but the mark was wind-aided
Wind assistance
Wind assistance is a term in track and field, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport....
(2.1 m/s) just outside the legal limit and he still needed to achieve the standard in legal wind conditions. He failed to repeat his form at the outdoor French championships, and was fourth in 16.79 m—far behind the event winner Jules Lechanga. Tamgho did not achieve the requisite mark in time for the team selection and Colomba Fofana
Colomba Fofana
Colomba Fofana is a French triple jumper. His personal best jump is 17.34 metres, achieved in May 2008 in Forbach. He competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2006 World Indoor Championships, without reaching the final....
took the only berth.
Starting to work under the tutelage of Stievenart and Laurence Bily
Laurence Bily
Laurence Bily is a retired French sprinter who specialized in the 100 metres. She ran for the Racing Club de France, and set a French junior record with 11.35 seconds in 1982 and a senior record with 11.04 in 1989.-Achievements:...
, Tamgho started the 2009 indoor season with notable improvements, beating his former 16.94 m best three times consecutively in Mondeville
Mondeville, Calvados
-Economy:It is the home of Yachts Industries, manufacturer of Blubay and Yapluka brands of catamaran.-External links:**...
that February to end up with a best of 17.37 m. He improved further later that month at the Meeting SEAT with a jump of 17.58 m—and under-23 world best and one centimetre short of French senior record. Driven on by a foul jump near the 17.80 m mark at that same meeting, he jumped 17.44 m for his first national title at the 2009 French Indoor Championships. He was competing with an injury, however, and took the two weeks building up to the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships as recovery time. At the championships he opened with a jump under 16 metres and fouled his remaining two jumps, thus being eliminated in the qualifiers despite being one of the event favourites.
At the start of the outdoor season he lined up against Olympic silver medallist Phillips Idowu
Phillips Idowu
Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu MBE is a Nigerian-English triple jumper...
at the Meeting Areva in Paris. While Idowu jumped 17.17 m for the victory, Tamgho was some distance from his top form and jumped 16.97 m for fifth place. He confirmed himself as the nation's top triple jumper later that month by winning his first senior outdoor title with 17.11 m—enough to earn him qualification to the World Championships. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in August, Tamgho qualified for the final with a jump of 17.11 m in the qualifiers. He did not improve in the final round, however, and finished tenth with his sole legal jump of the round being 16.79 m.
World title and record
After finishing as runner-up to Colomba Fofana at the French Indoor Championships in February, Tamgho turned his attention on the global stage. At the 2010 World Indoor Championships2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
, he took an early lead in the final with a jump of 17.41 m, but Yoandri Betanzos
Yoandri Betanzos
Yoandri Betanzos Francis is a Cuban athlete competing in the triple jump.His personal best jump is 17.65 metres, achieved in April 2009 in Havana...
surprised him with a 17.69 m personal best in the first round. He initially thought a lesser jump would have been enough to secure the title, but following the Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n's jump he said "I had to react and give it all". After a couple of fouls and two more jumps past the 17-metre mark, Tamgho had one final jump left to overhaul Betanzos. On his last attempt, he jumped seven centimetres clear of the world record mark (jointly held by Aliecer Urrutia
Aliecer Urrutia
Aliecer Urrutia Delgado is a retired male triple jumper from Cuba. Having set a personal best of 17.70 in 1996, he won a silver medal at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships and a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships. He shares the men's world indoor record with Christian Olsson of...
and Christian Olsson
Christian Olsson
Christian Olsson is a Swedish athlete competing in high jump and triple jump. He has won an Olympic gold medal, three gold and one silver medal in the World Championships and two gold medals in the European Championships...
) to record a new world indoor record of 17.90 m. He said he thought his previous season had been flawed, but that he had now grown stronger and matured, following advice from fellow competitors Jadel Gregório
Jadel Gregório
Jadel Abdul Ghani Gregório is a Brazilian athlete competing in long jump and triple jump. Based in São Paulo, he has competed in several international championships since 2001, and never finished lower than 6th place.He was a competitor for Brazil in the 2008 Summer Olympics...
and Phillips Idowu
Phillips Idowu
Phillips Olaosebikan Idowu MBE is a Nigerian-English triple jumper...
to take competitions in a calmer manner.
His good form continued into the outdoor season and he recorded a series of five jumps over 17 metres at the French Club National Championships, highlighted by a world leading jump of 17.63 m (a French record
French records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in France maintained by France's national athletics federation – Fédération française d'athlétisme .- Men :- Women :- Men :- Women :+ = en route to a longer distance...
). Following a wind-aided jump of 17.63 m two weeks later in Montreuil
Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis
Montreuil is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is the third most populous suburb of Paris...
, he attended the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. At his first Diamond League
2010 IAAF Diamond League
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
meeting, he jumped 17.60 m in the third round, and improved a centimetre further with the next jump before setting a personal best of 17.84 m to take the lead. Having already secured victory, he pushed even further with his final attempt to jump 17.98 m, making himself the third best jumper on the all-time lists behind Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards (athlete)
Jonathan David Edwards, CBE, is a former British triple jumper. He is a former Olympic, Commonwealth, European and World champion, and has held the world record in the event since 1995....
and Kenny Harrison. Three days before his 21st birthday, Tamgho had achieved the longest triple jump for over a decade. He won at the French Outdoor Championships, but had to contend with a right calf cramp en-route to victory. He was ruled out of the Paris Diamond League meeting due to injury and had not jumped in training in the build up to the 2010 European Athletics Championships, but he managed to clear 17.45 m to take the bronze medal, his first medal at the competition. Wins at the DN Galan
DN Galan
-External links:**...
and Memorial Van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
final made him the inaugural Diamond League triple jump champion. He announced a change of coach at the end of the season, starting work with four-time world champion Iván Pedroso
Iván Pedroso
Iván Lázaro Pedroso Soler is a retired Cuban athlete, specializing in long jump.In July 1990, still at the age of 17, Pedroso jumped more than 8 meters for the first time. Facing tough competition from Carl Lewis, Mike Powell and others, he still won numerous gold medals in international...
. He was recognised as the European Athletics Rising Star of the Year for his breakthrough year.
He started 2011 in similarly strong form as he improved his world indoor record by a centimetre to win at the French Indoor Championships. He increased his record one centimetre further at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships
2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships
The 31st European Athletics Indoor Championships were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from 4 to 6 March 2011.A record high of 630 athletes, representing 46 countries, were entered into the three-day competition. Twenty-six track and field events were contested at the...
, clearing 17.92 m on two occasions, to take the gold medal with a world record mark in front of the home crowd in Paris.
Personal bests
| Event | Best (m) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triple jump Triple jump The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a... (outdoor) |
17.98 | New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , United States |
12 June 2010 |
| Triple jump (indoor) | 17.92 List of world records in athletics | Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France |
6 March 2011 |
| Long jump Long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point... (outdoor) |
7.63 | Versailles Versailles Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre... , France |
16 June 2007 |
| Long jump (indoor) | 8.01 | Eaubonne Eaubonne Eaubonne is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Twin towns:It is twinned with Matlock, Derbyshire, England, Budenheim, Germany and Vălenii de Munte, Romania.-Transport:... , France |
13 February 2011 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.
Major competition record
| 2007 | European Junior Championships 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships The 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships is the 2007 version of the European Athletics Junior Championships. It was held from 19 July to 22 July at the FBK-Stadium in Hengelo, in the eastern Netherlands.- Men :- Women :- Medals table :... |
Narbonne Narbonne Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea... , France |
4th | 16.35 m |
| 2008 | World Junior Championships 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2008 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Bydgoszcz in Poland at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium between 8 and 13 July 2008.... |
Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st | 17.33 m |
| 2009 | European Indoor Championships | Turin Turin Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... , Italy |
13th (qualifiers) | 15.94 m |
| World Championships 2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate.... |
Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Germany |
11th | 16.79 m | |
| 2010 | World Indoor Championships 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:... |
Doha Doha Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar... , Qatar |
1st | 17.90 m List of world records in athletics |
| 2011 | Aubière Meeting | Aubière Aubière Aubière is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*... , France |
1st | 17.91 m List of world records in athletics |
| European Indoor Championships | Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
1st | 17.92 m List of world records in athletics |
- French Indoor Championships: 2009
- French Outdoor Championships: 2009
External links
- Profile from French Federation of Athletics