EDMONTON, ALBERTA, Canada — LSU’s Walter Davis was already a household in collegiate track and field circles after sweeping the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor titles in the triple jump this past season.
The rest of the world got a glimpse of the future this weekend, as the 22-year-old Leonville, La., native finished fifth in his signature event Monday evening at the IAAF World Championships at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
In addition, Davis’ teammate Alleyne Francique finished seventh in the 400-meter dash, while former Lady Tiger Debbie Parris looked sharp in the 400-meter hurdles semifinals.
Davis, the youngest competitor in the final, grabbed the lead after the opening round of competition, coming up with his best mark of the evening, a jump of 56 feet 5 1/4 inches, less than an inch off the school record mark he established on Saturday night. While he popped two additional jumps in 56-foot territory, he was unable to improve and came up just short in his bid for his first medal in major international competition.
“He’s the best triple jumper in the United States right now – collegiate or professional,” said LSU head coach Pat Henry. “For Walter to be fifth in the world at 22 years of age is nothing short of incredible. He’s a fantastic talent and I think he demonstrated this weekend that his future is very bright. To post the two best marks of his career within 48 hours and do it at a World Championship speaks volumes of what kind of competitor he is.”
Davis will now turn his attention to his senior season at LSU where, in addition to being the nation’s premier returning triple jumper, he will also enter the season as the NCAA’s top returning long jumper.
Like Davis, Francique will have a great deal to build upon in his senior season after a successful weekend in his first major international competition. The native of Grenada finished seventh in the men’s 400-meter dash final, running a time of 46.23 seconds out of a difficult lane eight assignment.
The 2001 NCAA runner-up went out fast over the first 200-meters to compensate for his outside lane, but faded over the final 40 meters of the race.
“Francique just ran out of gas at the end I think. He went through three tough rounds and for him, just to get to the final is a great accomplishment and something he’ll build on heading into his senior season,” added Henry.
“If you go through and look at collegiate athletes competing here this weekend – to accomplish what these two did is remarkable. They’re developing some great experiences. It’s an invaluable experience and for them to compete at this level is tremendous.”
Parris advanced to the finals of the women’s 400-meter hurdles final with a personal best outing. Parris ran the third fastest qualifying time, posting a scorching 53.88 in a very fast semifinal race.
Parris, whose previous best finish in major international competition was a fourth place finish at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, will compete in the final on Wednesday evening.