Chris Tomlinson hopes to fulfil prediction
Jul 31 2010 The Journal
MIDDLESBROUGH’S Chris Tomlinson has vowed not to be eating his own words after cruising into the long jump final at the European Championships after just two leaps.
The 28-year-old travelled to Barcelona being told he has to climb the podium but recorded a jump of just 7.98m from his first attempt in the Catalan capital.
However with the cobwebs blown away Tomlinson pulled off a season best leap of 8.20m with his next to comfortably reach tomorrow’s final at the Olympic Stadium.
Tomlinson has been vocal in his prediction that it will take a leap in excess of 8.20m to medal in Spain and admits the proof will be in the pudding in the final. “It was a good jump – a season’s best – and like I keep saying I was ranked 14th coming into the competition and I am already in the top 12,” said Tomlinson.
“I have been shouting my mouth off saying I can do eight and a half metres and we shall see about that in the final on Sunday. The most important thing is I am going to go out and enjoy it and if it happens and I medal it happens – if it doesn’t then it doesn’t.”
Tomlinson saw his support waiver after his first jump with British attention turning to 200m sprinter Christian Malcolm taking silver one hundredth of a second behind Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre.
The Middlesbrough long jumper’s leap of 8.20m was the third longest from the 32-strong field with Spain’s Eusebio Caceres and Germany’s Christian Reif leading the way with 8.27m. And Tomlinson – who is yet to claim a senior outdoor major championship medal despite ten attempts – admits he will leave nothing to chance in Barcelona. “My jump wasn’t as exciting as the 200m final which went on around me but I’m still pretty pleased,” he added. “Initially I thought 7.98m would be good enough but then everyone kept jumping further.
“I was thinking I’m going to have to jump more now and I put a little but more into it and it worked. Now I’ve got nothing to lose going into the final. My level is about an 8.20m jumper and I’ve achieved a lot by doing that but now it’s time to be an 8.40 jumper.”
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