Seven made the automatic qualifying mark. The eventual winner was not one of them, barely qualifying with the 9th best mark.
Favorite Phillips Idowu led through the first three rounds as Will Claye failed to make a legal jump through the first two rounds, waited until his third jump to jump 17.50, to not only qualify for his final three jumps but to move into second place. In the fourth round, unheralded American collegian Christian Taylor popped 17.96, the number ten all time jump to blast into the lead. Idowu jumped 17.77 in his fourth attempt but was unable to improve upon that.
