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Elyria grad Tianna Bartoletta soars to gold in long jump

She stepped onto the long jump runway at Olympic Stadium in Rio with the goal of advancing to Wednesday’s final, and Brittney Reese accomplished that goal easily. Now Reese is vying for another gold medal in the long jump at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

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Tianna Bartoletta of the United States leapt a personal best of 7.17 metres to claim gold in the women’s long jump on Wednesday.

Reese, known as the Long Jump Beast, was attempting to become the first woman to successfully defend her Olympic long jump title but had trouble finding a groove in the final.

She beat defending champion Brittney Reese of the USA, who won silver with a jump of 7.15.

Reese, a 29-year-old MS native, won her gold medal at the 2012 London Games after finishing fifth in her Olympic debut in 2008.

Reese has been the dominant figure in the event since winning her first outdoor world championship in 2009 following a fifth-place finish the previous year at the Beijing Olympics.

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Spanovic, bronze medalist at the last two world championships, won the Olympic bronze with a Serbian national record of 7.08.

Long jump gold medalist Tianna Bartoletta