GAINESVILLE, FL — French jumper Teddy Tamgho won the men’s triple jump at the 2016 Pepsi Florida Relays, hosted at the University of Florida at the Percy Beard Track on Saturday.
Tamgho, the 2013 IAAF World Championships gold medal winner, leaped out to a mark of 16.63 metres in the first round to collect first place in his outdoor season opener.
His effort is the fourth best in the world this early outdoor season.
The Frenchmen also had marks of 16.10m and 15.39m, but fouled twice in the final.
Andre Dorsey of Kennesaw State took second with a best effort of 16.10m ahead of KeAndre Bates of Florida (16.04m).
Elsewhere, Jan-Louw Kotze of South Alabama took the men’s Discus Throw College Invite with a mark of 62.11m — beating Hayden Reed of Alabama, who grabbed second place with a mark of 60.83m and Iowa’s Reno Tumuli, 60.71m.
Men’s Triple Jump Finals
1 Teddy Tamgho France 16.63m
2 Andre Dorsey SR Kennesaw State 16.10m
3 KeAndre Bates SO Florida 16.04m
4 Michael Wamer JR South Carolina 15.89m
5 Brandon Jones 8 Belize 15.67m
6 John Warren SO Missouri 15.64m
7 EJ Reddick SR Charleston Southern 15.63m
8 John Lemke JR McNeese State 15.62m
9 David Shaw SR St. Augustine’s 15.54m
10 Dejon Wilkinson G.W.Express/Nike 15.50m
Meanwhile, in action on the track Ahmed Ali and Andre De Grasse both produced notable times on Friday.
De Grasse, the 2015 IAAF World Championships bronze medallist clocked 9.99 seconds with the assistance of a +3.3 m/s wind to win the men’s 100m.
Hua Wilfried Koffi of the Ivory Coast took second in 10.04, with Cayman Islands’ Kemar Hyman finishing third in 10.14 and USA’s Ernest Wiggins (10.15).
In the college invitational 200 metres, Ali of Sudan set a new national record and quickly improved the precious world-leading time set by LaShawn Merritt at the same meet on Thursday.
Ali, representing the University of Alabama, ran 20.16 (2.0 m/s) to win the half lap event to finish ahead of Florida’s Ryan Clark (20.59) and Maurice Freeman of Georgia (20.64).
Merritt had set a 2016 world best mark of 20.23 secs for the 200m during the first day of action at the Pepsi Florida Relays on Thursday.
Gabrielle Thomas of Harvard won the college women’s invite race in 22.75 (0.6 m/s).
