Athletics World Cup: Jackson suffers final indignity

Outdoor swansong for Britain's enduring ambassador ends in anti-clima

It was the end of an era, and it finished with an error. After 16 years of clearing 3ft 6in barriers with supreme distinction, Colin Jackson ended his career as a 110m hurdler by clattering the first flight that stood in his path in the home straight of the Estadio Comunidad last night, clipping the third, pushing down the fourth as he teetered off-balance and then grinding to a halt before carrying on his way to the finish line with a faultless exhibition of his chosen art. Though he is planning to contest one last indoor season, in the 60m hurdles, it was the Welshman's 408th and final 110m hurdles race. It was his slowest, too.

Jackson crossed the line in 22.16sec, eight seconds behind the seven other finishers in the World Cup race. His world record, which has stood for nine years, is 12.91sec. It was a mark of the professionalism he has brought to his 16 years in international competition that the 35-year-old had the presence of mind to make it to the line. Two points would have been better than none to the British men's team, though Jackson, after initially being declared eighth, was later disqualified having veered out of his lane.

"Yeah, it's a bit disappointing," Jackson said, "but I took an executive decision not to risk breaking my legs. It was the sensible thing not to try to take the next hurdle. I've got the indoor season to run and four weeks off. I didn't want to spend four weeks recovering with a broken leg. My focus is on the indoor season. I've got a job to do and I'm looking forward to the world indoors in Birmingham. I'm looking forward to preparing for that and to winning there. That's my job and that's what I'm going to do. Things like this don't get me down."

And rightly not. Jackson has amassed an Aladdin's Cave of major championship gold medals in his outdoor life in the high hurdles fast lane. Jonathan Edwards has a glittering medal collection too – including the one prize that happens to be missing from Jackson's, Olympic gold. He holds the world record too, and the Gateshead Harrier continued his global domination of the triple jump last night, emerging victorious with a last-round effort of 17.34m – ahead of the American Walter Davis (17.23m) and his young Swedish rival Christian Olsson (17.05m).

With the three farthest jumps of the year and a 5-4 record against Olsson, who took his European title in Munich last month, Edwards ends the season still installed as world No 1. "I've no complaints," he said. "At 36, it's fantastic to still have a season like this. It's 10 years since I last won the World Cup and I did it with exactly the same distance."

Asked if he might be jumping the same distance in 2012, Edwards smiled and addressed the question of whether he intends to carry on competing next year. "My intention at the moment is certainly to start training again," he said, adding that the world indoor championships in March could figure on his agenda.

Edwards and Jackson are both survivors from the first British team to contest the World Cup. Steve Backley was also in Barcelona in 1989. He failed to repeat the javelin win he achieved there, though, finishing fourth with 79.39m before heading into town for his stag night. It left Edwards as the only winner in a British men's team visibly fatigued at the end of a long and demanding season.

The British men's team can be excused for their disappointing showing in Madrid. It has unquestionably been a good season for Britain's athletes, with 12 gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and seven at the European Championships in Munich.

It promises to be a good autumn too, with Paula Radcliffe gunning for the marathon world record in Chicago on 13 October. Radcliffe runs in the Nike 10km road race in Richmond Park, London, this morning, the final test of her speed endurance before she attempts to blast round the streets of the Windy City. On the strength of the Bedford runner's summer track form, and with Sonia O'Sullivan also in the 25,000-strong field, Radcliffe could well blow apart the world 10km road best, the 30min 29sec recorded by Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco in New York in June. British athletics could well make a global impact this weekend after all.