Women Long Jump Athletics VI World Championship 1997 Athens (GRE) - Saturday 09.08 - Gold Medal: Lyudmila Galkina, Russia
Final 18:25
Distance
wind
1.
2.
3.
4.
5
6.
1. Lyudmila Galkina
RUS
7.05m
+0.6
6.89
6.85
X
7.05
X
X
2. Niki Xanthou
GRE
6.94m
+0.1
X
6.69
6.93
6.94
X
X
3. Fiona May
ITA
6.91m
+0.8
6.91
X
X
6.78
6.66
X
4. Heike Daute-Drechsler
GER
6.89m
-0.1
6.62
6.69
X
4.90
6.87
6.89
5. Jackie Joyner-Kersee
USA
6.79m
+0.7
6.79
6.78
X
6.72
6.78
6.60
6. Susen Tiedtke
GER
6.78m
-0.1
6.75
X
X
6.78
6.54
6.77
7. Viktoriya Vershinina
UKR
6.71m
+0.8
4.28
6.71
X
X
6.56
6.54
8. Erica Johansson
SWE
6.64m
-0.3
X
6.54
6.64
6.54
5.34
6.41
9. Magdalena Khristova
BUL
6.64m
+0.4
X
X
6.64
X
X
6.45
10.Marion Jones
USA
6.63m
0.0
X
X
6.63
11.Sharon Jaklofsky
NED
6.61m
+1.0
6.61
6.60
6.38
12.Chioma Ajunwa
NGR
5.21m
-0.3
5.21
X
X
The shock winner of the Olympic gold medal, Ajunwa, led the qualifiers by a whopping 21cm margin at 7.01 but, her left thigh heavily strapped, she hurt herself on her first jump in the final and had to be carried off on a stretcher. Defending champion May led the final with her opening leap of 6.91 until local heroine Xanthou went ahead by 2cm in the third round. However, one round later the 1995 world indoor champion Galkina, a former world junior triple jump record holder, stretched out to a timely personal best of 7.05. Xanthou improved slightly to 6.94 to consolidate second place. May’s 6.91 held up for bronze but, with thousands of Greeks whistling in an unsporting attempt to distract her, the British-born Italian marginally fouled her final attempt, landing beyond 7 metres. Drechsler, champion in 1983 and 1993, fell just short of a medal with her last jump and one place ahead of another former world champion and record holder in Jackie Joyner-Kersee. The 100m champion Jones, a novice at this event, placed tenth.