DAEGU, South Korea - 'Superman' Leevan Sands was right on the money when he said it would take a personal best jump just to get on the podium here in Daegu, South Korea... well almost.
The Bahamian national record holder leapt a season's best of 17.21 meters (m) - 56' 5-1/2" - on a sore calf Sunday night. Imagine what he would have done at 100 percent. Be that as it may, his gutsy performance was good enough to finish seventh in the world, here at Daegu Stadium on Sunday.
That brought the 13th International Association of Athletic Federations' (IAAF) World Outdoor Championships to a close for Team Bahamas, sending the 18-member squad home with one medal - a bronze in the Men's High Jump. As for Sands, his fifth jump in the Men's Triple Jump final, on Sunday night, is indicative of the kind of competitor and performer he really is. Despite suffering a cramp in his right calf at the beginning of his approach, he still completed the jump and got a season's best out of it.
On his sixth and final jump, both of his calves started to cramp up and he could only muster a jump of 16.59m (54' 5-1/4") on that attempt. "I was a little disappointed because I was ready to go. I still gave it a go on the last jump but it was difficult because both calves were cramping up," he said. "I was in good shape this year. It just didn't happen. Christian Taylor did an awesome job, and Phillips is always consistent. I knew that I would have needed to PR (personal best) today to get on the podium. It didn't happen but I just want to thank God that I was able to get through it."
Taylor was beyond awesome for the United States. He came within four centimeters of becoming just the third triple jumper to ever jump 18 meters. He won the gold medal with a personal best, world leading leap of 17.96m (58' 11"), to place him fifth on the all-time list. His former University of Florida teammate Will Claye had a personal best leap of 17.50m (57' 5") to win the bronze medal. Defending World Champion Phillips Idowu, of Great Britain, split the duo, with a best jump of 17.77m (58' 3-1/2"), for the silver medal.
"When I saw that jump, I was calm," said Sands. "It actually got me extra excited to go out there and hit a big one myself. That's just the kind of person that I am. I just try to get the crowd involved to get me hyped up," he added. Taylor's world leading mark came on his fourth jump. He passed on his fifth and settled for a 15.64m (51' 3-3/4) leap on his final jump, as the gold medal was already in hand. All six of Idowu's jumps were over 17 meters, but after Taylor snatched the lead away from him in the fourth round, he could only muster jumps of 17.48 (57' 4-1/4") and 17.49m (57' 4-1/2") on his final two attempts.
As for Sands, his best jump appeared to come on his second attempt but he scratched by the slimmest of margins. He was barely over the board on a jump which appeared to be in excess of 17.30m (56' 9"). "I just want to apologize to the Bahamian people for not bringing home a medal this time, but maybe next time. I did my best, but I still feel like I could have done better," he said.
The bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympic Games has become so accustomed to big performances in big meets that he feels that he has let the Bahamian people down with his seventh place finish. There is no doubt that Bahamians here in Daegu, and back home in The Bahamas, are extremely proud of Sands though. He continues to represent the country well whenever he has the opportunity to do so.
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