"He left the sport better than he found it"- Anna Hall praises Christian Taylor and reflects on his impact on the sport following retirement

By Marie Amani

Modified Jul 21, 2024 05:05 GMT

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Christian Taylor hanged his spikes on Saturday, July 20, after a successful career spanning over 15 years. Taylor made his final appearance at the Holloway Pro Classic, the same sandpit where he began his career.

After his retirement, Christian Taylor has received a lot of praise, with the latest coming from three-time U.S. champion Anna Hall. She was in action at the Holloway Pro Classic in Florida and was in awe of witnessing Christian Taylor make his final jump.

Hall was out to compete, finishing seventh in the women’s 200m, but spared some time to watch the four-time world champion hang his spikes.

She shared the photo on her Instagram stories, lauding Christian Taylor for his impact on the sport and how she felt watching Taylor make his final jump. At the event, Taylor managed to jump 16.14m for a fifth-place finish.

"What an honor to watch your last jump. Christian Taylor left the sport better than he found it," Hall captioned the photo.

Anna Hall hugging Christian Taylor (Source: Anna Hall Instagram stories)

Meanwhile, the two-time Olympic champion has enjoyed a great time in the sport and was destined for more greatness, but injuries slowed him down, forcing him into early retirement.

The five-time Diamond League final winner started his professional career in 2007 and made his first national team in the 2008 Bydgoszcz World Junior Championships in Poland. He competed in the long jump, triple jump, and 4x400m relay, where he finished seventh, eighth, and first, respectively.

Taylor made his first national team as a senior in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, where he claimed his first title in triple jump but did not defend his title at the 2013 World Championships in Russia after finishing fourth.

However, he bounced back to winning ways at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing before defending his title at the 2017 World Championships in London. He also won the title at the 2019 World Championships in Doha before the injury woes began.

In the Olympic Games, Taylor made his Olympic debut at the London 2012 Olympic Games before striking another win at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He failed to defend his title at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to a nagging Achilles injury.

Taylor could not make it past the qualification stage at the 2022 World Championships and missed the 2023 World Championships.

"An actual GOAT"- Michael Johnson lauds Christian Taylor following retirement

Christian Taylor (Larger image) and Michael Johnson (Lower left) (Source: Getty Images)

Michael Johnson referred to Christian Taylor as the actual ‘GOAT’ (Greatest of All Time) following his retirement from the sport.

Johnson noted that most of the time, people always refer to any athlete as the greatest, but he opined that Taylor has earned the title.

The 34-year-old has won four world championship titles and two Olympic titles. He has five Diamond League trophies to his name.

"Sometimes people call GOAT for athletes who are barely good! @Taylored2jump is an actual GOAT. There’s no debate. No one can argue this one. Even if you didn’t like him (if you dislike Christian, something’s wrong with you) you’d still say he’s the GOAT. I salute you 🐐," Johnson shared on X.

Christian Taylor was not only a star in the global championships but also showed up to the Diamond League Meeting circuits and local championships, hoping to inspire the younger generation.