Teddy Tamgho - Career - World Title and Record

World Title and Record

After finishing as runner-up to Colomba Fofana at the French Indoor Championships in February, Tamgho turned his attention on the global stage. At the 2010 World Indoor Championships, he took an early lead in the final with a jump of 17.41 m, but Yoandri Betanzos surprised him with a 17.69 m personal best in the first round. He initially thought a lesser jump would have been enough to secure the title, but following the Cuban's jump he said "I had to react and give it all". After a couple of fouls and two more jumps past the 17-metre mark, Tamgho had one final jump left to overhaul Betanzos. On his last attempt, he jumped seven centimetres clear of the world record mark (jointly held by Aliecer Urrutia and Christian Olsson) to record a new world indoor record of 17.90 m. He said he thought his previous season had been flawed, but that he had now grown stronger and matured, following advice from fellow competitors Jadel Gregório and Phillips Idowu to take competitions in a calmer manner.

His good form continued into the outdoor season and he recorded a series of five jumps over 17 metres at the French Club National Championships, highlighted by a world leading jump of 17.63 m (a French record). Following a wind-aided jump of 17.63 m two weeks later in Montreuil, he attended the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City. At his first Diamond League meeting, he jumped 17.60 m in the third round, and improved a centimetre further with the next jump before setting a personal best of 17.84 m to take the lead. Having already secured victory, he pushed even further with his final attempt to jump 17.98 m, making himself the third best jumper on the all-time lists behind Jonathan Edwards and Kenny Harrison. Three days before his 21st birthday, Tamgho had achieved the longest triple jump for over a decade. He won at the French Outdoor Championships, but had to contend with a right calf cramp en route to victory. He was ruled out of the Paris Diamond League meeting due to injury and had not jumped in training in the build up to the 2010 European Athletics Championships, but he managed to clear 17.45 m to take the bronze medal, his first medal at the competition. Wins at the DN Galan and Memorial Van Damme final made him the inaugural Diamond League triple jump champion. He announced a change of coach at the end of the season, starting work with four-time world champion Iván Pedroso. He was recognised as the European Athletics Rising Star of the Year for his breakthrough year.

He started 2011 in similarly strong form as he improved his world indoor record by a centimetre to win at the French Indoor Championships. He increased his record one centimetre further at the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships, clearing 17.92 m on two occasions, to take the gold medal with a world record mark in front of the home crowd in Paris.

In December 2011, he was handed a 12-month ban from competition by his national athletics federation, half of which was suspended, for an altercation with a female athlete at a training camp held at the end of October 2011. He was also been fined €1,500 and ordered to complete 50 hours of community service. He thus missed the chance to defend his title at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in March but would be eligible to participle in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He accepted the verdict and expressed his regret. He was forced to pull out of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London after undergoing a right ankle operation.