TIGNES: World and Olympic champion Christian Taylor suffered a double failure on Wednesday as he attempted to break the triple-jump world record at altitude in Tignes, France. The 27-year-old double Olympic and triple world champion not only failed to trouble Jonathan Edwards’s 22-year-old record of 18.29m but he also finished second to American compatriot Will Claye. Although the 3,000-metre altitude was expected to help in a world record attempt, strong winds made conditions difficult. Clay won with a modest effort of 17.42m while Taylor’s jump of 16.99m was well off his personal best of 18.21m. A few days earlier at the world championships in London, Taylor won with a leap of 17.68m, with Claye second after jumping 17.63m. South African Luvo Manyonga backed up his world championship win by leaping 8.46m in the long jump, just two centimetres off what he managed in London, but well off Mike Powell’s 26-year-old record of 8.95m. Published in Daily Times, August 17th 2017.