In a thrilling battle at Thursday night’s Diamond League meeting in Rome, South Africa’s outdoor world champion Luvo Manyonga won the long jump victory ahead of indoor world champion Juan Miguel Echevarría, as the duo registered respective leaps of 8.58m and 8.53m.
It was a ding-dong affair and not since 2009 had two athletes passed the 8.50m mark in the same year and also in the same meeting.Having suffered a foul in the first round, Cuban teenager Echevarría managed a personal best in the second, but Port Elizabeth-based Manyonga quickly responded with his winning affort.
Neither athlete could improve further after that and South Africa’s Ruswahl Samaai’s came third with 8.34m.