Long Jump, Women

Brittney Reese had competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, just missing a medal by finishing fourth in the long jump, 4 cm short of the bronze medal. Since then she had taken gold at the 2009 and 2011 World Championships and the 2010 and 2012 World Indoor Championships and came to London as a clear favorite.

In the final Reese fouled in round one as [Ineta Radēviča] of Latvia took the lead with 6.88 metres. Radēviča would later finish fourth but was caught in a re-test of her doping sample and was disqualified in 2019. Behind her Yelena Sokolova (RUS) had the next best jump of round one with 6.80.

Reese put an end to things in round two with a leap of 7.12 metres, a mark that would bring her the gold medal, although she would have only two legal jumps, also recording 6.69 in round five. Sokolova also improved in round two to 7.07 metres which would earn her the silver medal. American Janay DeLoach’s mark of 6.77 in round one would be good enough for the bronze medal, although she improved that in round five with 6.89.

Three of the 11 finalists were later disqualified for positive doping tests. Reese would return in 2016 and 2020 to take silver medals, while DeLoach would also compete in 2016 but did not make the final. Since the first appearance of women’s long jump at London 1948, Reese’s 2012 gold medal in the event was only the second for the United States, after Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988.