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Christian Taylor repeats triple jump gold medal

Christian Taylor won gold in the men's triple jump on Tuesday at Olympic Stadium, defending his title from the 2012 London Games and becoming the first American to win back-to-back golds in the discipline since 1904.

<p><span class="cutline js-caption" style="display: block; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.74902);">Christian Taylor of the United States competes during the men's triple jump at the Rio Olympics.</span><span class="credit" style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.74902);">(Photo: Franck Robichon, EPA)</span></p>

Christian Taylor won gold in the men’s triple jump on Tuesday at Olympic Stadium, defending his title from the 2012 London Games and becoming the first American to win back-to-back golds in the discipline since 1904.

Taylor leaped 17.86 meters (58 feet, 7 1/4 inches) on his first jump, basically ending the competition before it began.

It was 1-2 again for the USA, the same as London, as teammate and fellow former Florida Gator Will Claye (17.76 ) took silver. China’s Dong Bin (17.58) took bronze.

Taylor and Claye join three other American athletes with multiple medals in the triple jump. Myer Prinstein won gold in 1900 and 1904, James Connolly won a gold and a silver in 1896 and 1900, and Mike Conley Sr. — whose son, also named Mike, plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies — won a gold and silver between 1984 and 1992.

The USA has been the world’s best in the event. The two medals here in Rio gives the country 18 medals in the discipline, five more than second-place Russia.

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