After winning his third consecutive Diamond Race title last season, Christian Taylor starts the competition as favourite in the men’s triple jump. The 24-year-old American achieved 17.51 m last season, finishing fourth in the world for the year. His career-best mark is 17.96 m, which brought him the world title in Daegu in 2011. In Doha he faces a stubborn French duo: first, Benjamin Compaore, who put in a strong 2014, winning the European title in August and another win at the Continental Cup three weeks later, where he improved his mark to 17.48 m. The second is Teddy Tamgho, who returns to the outdoor season hoping to build on a career that has come a long way since winning the world title in 2013 by clearing 18 metres. With that leap, the 25-year-old became one of only three athletes ever to clear the 18-metre barrier. Tamgho also holds the world indoor record with 17.92 m, a leap that brought him the world indoor title in 2011.
Also competing is Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo, silver medallist at the 2013 World Championships.
