USA's Bartoletta wins women's long jump gold

RIO DE JANEIRO

Tianna Bartoletta of the United States upset compatriot and defending champion Brittney Reese to claim gold in the Olympic women's long jump final at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

Bartoletta, the reigning world champion, secured victory with her fifth jump, a monster leap of 7.17m to knock Reese out of first place.

Reese, who could only manage a best jump of 7.15m with her final attempt, won silver. Ivana Spanovic of Serbia took bronze with a national record of 7.08.

Bartoletta's career has undergone a remarkable resurgence in the past 12 months.

The 30-year-old announced her arrival on the long jumping scene way back in 2005 when she won the World Championships in Helsinki.

But that win was to herald a decade of disappointment for Bartoletta, which finally came to an end when she won gold at last year's worlds in Beijing.

Even so, she remained the underdog heading into Wednesday's final, with 2012 champion Reese in the best form of her career this season, having jumped a world leading 7.31m.

Reese, however, struggled to find her rhythm early on in the final, no-marking in three of her first four jumps before squeezing into the final rounds with a leap of 6.79m.

However, Reese looked ominously to have cranked up a gear when she produced a jump of 7.09 to take the lead on her fifth effort.

Bartoletta responded brilliantly, though, with her fifth jump, regaining the lead with a leap of 7.17.

With one jump left Reese could only manage 7.15 and Bartoletta had hung on for a fairy-tale gold.