#Doha2019: Usain Bolt congratulates Tajay Gayle on winning long jump gold
Jamaica’s world-renowned 100 and 200 metres record holder Usain Bolt has congratulated the island’s first gold medal winner at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.
In a Twitter
post, Bolt said: “Congrats on your gold Tajay Gayle #TeamJamaica all day every
day #Doha2019.”
Gayle produced a national record of 8.69 metres on his fourth jump in the final to win the island’s first gold at the championships after he had leapt 8.46 with his first jump to take the lead. Those were the two best jumps in the final.
It was the
first time that a Jamaican had won the gold medal in the long jump, as James
Beckford had finished second and collected the silver medal on two occasions.
The 8.69 metres was also the 10th best jump of all time.
Gayle fouled
his second and third attempts and did not attempt the fifth and sixth attempts.
Jeff
Henderson of the United States of America was second with 8.39 metres while
favourite Juan Echeverria of Cuba was third with 8.34 metres.
This is the first World Championships without Bolt since Osaka in 2007 during which he won 11 gold medals, two silver and one bronze.
He set the
world records of 9.58 seconds in the 100 metres and 19.19 in the 200 metres at
the World Championships in Berlin, Germany, in 2009.
