By Lori Ewing
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango soared to victory in the men’s triple jump for the country’s first-ever World Athletics Championships gold on Monday, while 18-year-old title favourite Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica pulled out injured.
Zango, ranked No. 2 in the world, jumped 17.64 metres on his fifth of six attempts to overtake Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez, who won silver with 17.41 after fouling on three of his attempts. Martinez edged team mate Cristian Napoles who jumped 17.40.
The 30-year-old Zango won his country’s first Olympic medal with bronze in Tokyo. He was the silver medallist at the 2022 worlds and third in 2019.
Hibbert, who has the best jump in the world this season – 17.87 – ran through the pit on his first attempt and clutched his hamstring. He received treatment but then withdrew from the competition.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
