INDIANAPOLIS -- After setting a new personal best and meeting record at the Athletissima Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, Christian Taylor wins USATF Athlete of the Week after becoming only the second man in history with two jumps over 18 meters.
 
Taylor (Fayetteville, Georgia) and Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo put on a show for spectators last Thursday. Going back and forth with each jump, Pichardo held a slight edge over Taylor halfway through the competition. After scratching his fourth attempt, Taylor found the strength to produce a jump of 18.02m/59-1.50 putting him in the lead.
 
However, Taylor did not stop there. On his final jump of the day, the reigning Olympic champion set a new personal best with a jump of 18.06m/59-3, matching Pichardo’s Diamond League record and shattering the previous Athletissima record (17.91m/58-9.25, Teddy Tamgho). With his two 18m+ jumps, Taylor becomes just the second athlete in history to leap 18 meters in one competition (Jonathan Edwards, 1995).
 
“Two jumps over 18 meters means I am getting more consistent at high levels,” he said. “The goal right now is to keep on improving and to keep the triple jump as an exciting event this year.”
 
With the American record of 18.09m/59-4.25 (Kenny Harrison, 1996 Olympic Games) in his sights, Taylor will next compete at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday, July 17.
 
Other notable performances this week include:
 
●  ​Mike Rodgers (Round Rock, Texas) ran a season’s best of 9.88 to win the men's 100m at the Meeting de Madrid. This is his second-fastest time ever and his 10th wind legal sub-10 of 2015. 
 
●  ​Wallace Spearmon (Fayetteville, Arkansas) set a meet record of 20.21 at the Track Town Classic to win the 200m.
 
●  Shaquille Walker (Provo, Utah) was the lone U.S. gold medalist at the World University Games, taking the men's 800m title.
 
●  ​Lisa Wilson (West Boylston, Massachusetts) was awarded the female performer of the meet at the 2015 USATF National Club Championships. The honor follows her first place finish in hammer, second place finish in shot put and third place finish in discus, scoring 24 points on the day.
 
●  ​Andre Reid (Manchester, Connecticut) won the male performer of the meet at the 2015 USATF National Club Championships. Reid had two third-place performances in the hammer and javelin throws, while finishing fifth and sixth in the shot put and discus, respectively, for 20 total points.
 
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; Grant Fisher, June 10; Ben True, June 17; Candace Hill, June 24; Justin Gatlin, July 1; Evan Jager, July 8; Christian Taylor, July 15.
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.

Olivia Odle 
Communications Intern
Olivia.Odle@usatf.org