PARIS — Claston Bernard finished ninth in the decathlon and Walter Davis advanced to the finals of the men’s long jump Wednesday, concluding another stellar day of competition by former LSU track and field athletes at the ninth IAAF World Championships.
Bernard entered the second day of competition with 4,239 points and added an additional 3,761 points over the course of the final five events to wrap up a ninth-place finish. Bernard’s 8,000 total points marks a season-best effort.
Competing in the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-meter run, Bernard posted his most impressive performance of the day in the javelin where he recorded a personal best throw of 195-1.
Davis, the most decorated athlete in Tiger track history, needed just one attempt in the qualifying rounds of the long jump to advance straight into the finals. Davis’ leap of 26-8 1/2 proved to be the third-best mark of the day, behind only Spain’s Yago Lamela (26-10 1/2) and Great Britain’s Christopher Tomlinson (26-9 1/4).
Finals for the men’s long jump competition are scheduled for Friday, August 29.