Christian Taylor earns USATF Athlete of the Week following fifth career Diamond League trophy

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Christian Taylor added another piece of hardware to his trophy haul, capturing the coveted 2016 Diamond League trophy with his victory at the Weltklasse Zürich on Thursday, September 1 at Stadium Letzigrund.

Taylor (Fayetteville, Georgia) registered a meet record of 17.80m/58-4.75 to claim his fifth consecutive Diamond League triple jump title. The four-time global medalist and American record holder was the class of the field, defeating his competitors by nearly a meter.

“I’m extremely satisfied,” Taylor told the IAAF after his victory. “It’s really close to my season best. I won the Diamond Race, which is just great. I’ve won it all, that’s true. But there’s still the world record to chase and I will keep fighting for it. I want to keep my average up consistently over 17.70m and 17.80m.”

Taylor has won 20 Diamond League meetings in his career en route to his five Diamond League trophies. This is the third USATF Athlete of the Week honor of Taylor’s career, earning the title twice in 2015.

Other notable performances last week:

• Kerron Clement (La Porte, Texas) - Won his first career Diamond League trophy with a 48.72 victory over rival Javier Culson in the men's 400m hurdles at Weltklasse Zurich.
• Keni Harrison (Clayton, North Carolina) - Won her seventh Diamond League meeting of 2016, cruising to the finish in 12.63 to claim her first Diamond League trophy.
• Eric Jenkins (Portsmouth, New Hampshire) - Stunned the field with his 3:49.5 finish in Saturday's New Balance 5th Avenue Mile. Surged past Olympic champion Matt Centrowitz at the line to turn in the fastest finishing time since 1995.
• LaShawn Merritt (Portsmouth, Virginia) - Won the 2016 Diamond League trophy with a 44.64 victory in the 400m at Weltklasse Zurich on Thursday, September 1.
• Jenny Simpson (Oviedo, Florida) - Won her fifth career New Balance 5th Avenue Mile in 4:18.3, the fastest women's time since 1990. With her victory on Saturday, September 3, Simpson becomes the first athlete in history, woman or man, to capture five 5th Avenue Mile titles.

Now in its 15th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2016 Winners: Jan. 13, Garrett Heath; Jan. 20, Donavan Brazier; Jan. 27, Keni Harrison; Feb. 3, Jenn Suhr; Feb. 10, Vashti Cunningham; Feb. 17, Galen Rupp; Feb. 24, John Nunn; March 2, Curtis Beach; March 11, Bill Collins; March 16, Da’mira Allen; March 24, Michelle Carter; March 31, Janet Bawcom; April 8, Maria Michta-Coffey; April 14, Keni Harrison; April 22, LaShawn Merritt; April 28, Courtney Okolo; May 6, Ida Keeling; May 12, Willie Gault; May 18, Marquise Goodwin; June 2, Keni Harrison; June 9, Tia Brooks; June 16, Donavan Brazier; June 23, Sydney McLaughlin; June 30, Tia Jones; July 7, Allyson Felix; July 15, Bernard Lagat; July 22, Allen Woodard; July 29, Keni Harrison; August 5, Chantae McMillan; August 11, Myrle Mensey; August 20, Michelle Carter; August 26, Matt Centrowitz; September 1, Megan Roche; September 8, Christian Taylor.