Reese Makes First Jump Count to Retain Title

American Brittney Reese successfully defended her world long jump title with her first and only legitimate jump of 6.82 meters on Sunday.

The 24-year-old spent a mostly frustrating evening watching red flags waving but the first of her six attempts, while well short of her season's best of 7.19 meters, proved good enough to retain the gold medal.

Reese was the first woman to successfully defend the world title since compatriot Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1991 and her victory gave the United States their first medal of the championships.

Russian Olga Kucherenko of Russia stole the limelight from her glamorous compatriot Darya Klishina by taking silver with two jumps of 6.77, the latter coming with her final attempt to overhaul Reese.

Latvia's Ineta Radevica snatched the bronze medal away from Belarussian Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanona with her final jump of 6.76.

Mironchyk-Ivanona (6.74) was fourth ahead of Sweden's three-times heptathlon world champion Carolina Kluft with Klishina a disappointing seventh.