Athletics: World-best for Edwards stuns home crowd

For the second time in just over a fortnight world triple jump record holder Jonathan Edwards bounced back from defeat to win here last night.

Edwards, who had lost to the American Walter Davis in Rome on Friday, beat the home favourite Christian Olson with a leap of 17.78 metres – the world leading mark of the year.

Earlier in the month, Edwards had won the Paris Golden League meeting only days after losing to Phillips Idowu, his first defeat to a fellow Briton in five years.

Steve Backley made an uneventful comeback from illness. The reigning European javelin champion finished sixth. Sergey Makarov, the Russian winner of last month's European Cup final, won the event with a throw of 87.83m.

Backley knows the next three weeks are crucial if he is to win a fourth European gold medal in Munich next month. Before then he will also attempt to win back the Commonwealth title he lost four years ago.

* Ato Boldon, the defending 100m champion, will not compete at the Commonwealth Games. The 28-year-old Trinidad athlete has had an injury-plagued season and cited a lack of fitness for his decision.