Christian Taylor (born June 18, 1990) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the triple jump and has a personal record of , which ranks 2nd on the all-time list.

He was the triple jump champion and long jump bronze medalist at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics. He established himself as a top level triple jumper at the University of Florida, where he won back-to-back NCAA Indoor titles and then consecutive NCAA Outdoor Championship titles in 2010 and 2011. Taylor won his first USA Outdoor national title in 2011.

He followed his national title with a win in the triple jump at the 2011 World Championships, upsetting the field with the tenth best jump in history. He was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team and won the gold medal in the triple jump at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He placed fourth at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, but regained his title at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. He won the gold medal in the triple jump at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with a jump of 17.86m.USA's Christian Taylor repeats triple jump gold medal. USA Today. Retrieved on August 20, 2016. In 2017, Taylor once again stormed to victory in the triple jump at 2017 World Championships in Athletics with a jump of 17.68m. Coming to the 2019 World Championships in Doha as the defending champion, Taylor took his fourth world title in the triple jump by producing a 17.92m jump.

He also competes in the long jump – with a best of – and in the sprints to a high level: his best for the 400-meter dash is 45.07Track & Field Results Reporting System. TFRRS. Retrieved on May 28, 2015. seconds and he has run 20.70 seconds for the 200-meter dash.Taylor, Christian. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.

In 2019, Taylor announced the formation of "The Athletics Association," an organization of professional track and field athletes around the world, independent of IAAF, to advocate for athlete rights.

Career Early life and career Born in Fayetteville, Georgia to Barbadian parents, he attended Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Tyrone GA, and first learned how to triple jump there.King, Mike (September 5, 2011). Triple joy. Nation News. Retrieved on June 5, 2012. He also attended Robert J Burch Elementary School and participated in their running club; he later attended Sandy Creek High School and played for their football and track and field teams. He set state high school records in the long jump, triple jump and the 400-meter dash, later going on to score a hat-trick of titles in those events at the 2008 National Scholastic Indoor Championships.Christian Taylor . Florida Gators. Retrieved on August 7, 2011. He made his first international appearances while he was a high school student: he won the triple jump gold medal at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics and also claimed the long jump bronze.Mulkeen, Jon (July 14, 2007). Czech land first gold of championships – Day Four Evening Report. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011. The following year he was a finalist in both jumps at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics.

Taylor went on to attend the University of Florida, recruited by coach Rana Reider, in 2009 and in his first year he won three titles at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships (long jump, triple jump, 4×400-meter relay). At the NCAA Indoor Championship he won the triple jump, came sixth in the long jump and helped Florida reach third on the podium in the relay. He closed his first year with a third-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Taylor established himself as the one of his country's best with a clearance of 17.18 m in March 2010, which made him the best American triple jumper that year.2010 World Comprehensive List – Men . Track & Field News (2010). Retrieved on August 7, 2011. He was unrivalled in the event collegiately as he won both the SEC Indoor and Outdoor titles, and completed an Indoor/Outdoor NCAA double. On top of this, he won two further SEC titles in the relay, was third in the long jump at the SEC Indoors, and jumped a personal record of 8.19 m as the SEC Outdoors runner-up. Away from collegiate competition, he also won triple and long jump titles at the 2010 NACAC Under-23 Championships,NACAC Under 23 Championships – 7/9/2010 to 7/11/2010 . HalfMileTiming. Retrieved on August 7, 2011. and was the silver medallist behind Kenta Bell at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.Morse, Parker (June 26, 2010). Patterson, Felix steal the show: USATF Nationals, Day 1 & 2. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.

2011 World Champion He began his 2011 season with a personal and championship record triple jump of 17.36 m to claim the SEC Indoor title ahead of fellow Florida Gator Will Claye.Ramsak, Bob (February 28, 2011). Teen phenom James smashes through 45-second barrier in Fayetteville. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011. He was also runner-up in the relay and eighth in the long jump. At the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships their positions were reversed, as Taylor finished second and Claye succeeded his teammate as the NCAA indoor champion.Dunaway, James (March 13, 2011). Drouin tops 2.33m, Hasay takes double in College Station – NCAA Indoors, Day 2. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011. The pair continued their rivalry at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and delivered one of the highest calibre triple jump contests in the history of the competition. A good wind conditions aided the jumpers to marks over 17.30 m in the opening rounds, then Taylor took the lead with a personal record of 17.40 m (wind at the 2.0 m/s limit). Claye regained the lead by a centimetre, only for Taylor to respond with a wind-assisted 17.80 m which was enough to secure a second consecutive NCAA Outdoor title.Dunaway, James (June 11, 2011). With 100m / Long Jump double win, Makusha joins legendary company – NCAA championships – UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.

The two Florida Gators both took their talents to the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where they repeated their top-two finish as Taylor claimed his first national title with a wind-assisted 17.49 m.Lee, Kirby (June 14, 2011). Carter prevails in epic women's Shot Put battle in Eugene – USA champs, Day 1. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011. Taylor proved himself to be a contender for a world medal as he defeated all comers at the London Grand Prix, including the reigning world champion Phillips Idowu, with a personal best jump of 17.68 m.Rowbottom, Mike (August 6, 2011). Richards-Ross sizzles 49.66 in London – Day Two REPORT – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved on August 7, 2011.

At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Taylor won the triple jump title with a distance of 17.96 m, a personal best for him and beating defending champion Phillips Idowu. Idowu started the competition with a jump of 17.56 m. Then proceeded to jump 17.38 m and 17.70 m on his second and third attempt and looked poised to win the gold after jumping 17.77 m on his fourth attempt. Taylor never really looked like a serious gold medal threat before his fourth jump. He started with a no mark on his first attempt and only managed to jump 17.04 m and 17.40 m on his second and third attempt, respectively. On Taylor's fourth attempt, he leaped a distance of 17.96 m, a huge improvement from his previous personal best of 17.68 m, and was good enough for the gold medal. The jump was also the tenth best jump in history. Idowu could not respond to Taylor's distance and had to settle for the silver medal.

2012 season He came second to Will Claye at both the USA Indoor Championships and the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, although his clearance of 17.63 m was an indoor personal best.EVENT REPORT – Men's Triple Jump – Final. IAAF (March 11, 2012). Retrieved on June 2, 2012. He defeated his rival at the 2012 Prefontaine Classic with a meet record jump of 17.62 m in June.Gains, Paul (June 2, 2012). Dibaba 30:24.39 and Kiprop 27:01.98 on stunning but wet first night in Eugene – Samsung Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved on June 3, 2012.

Taylor defeated Claye by 8 cm at the Olympic Trials as both went on to represent the United States at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Third place at those trials, Walter Davis and no other American achieved a qualifying mark all season, so only the two Americans went to the Olympics.

At the Olympics, Taylor was first in the qualifying round. In the final, Taylor fouled his first two attempts, putting him in danger of being eliminated. On his third attempt he jumped 17.15 to move into 6th place, but more importantly securing an opportunity to take three more attempts. With his fourth jump, he went on to produce his best effort of the season to win the gold medal. Claye would go on to finish second with a jump of 17.62 m, capturing his second medal of the 2012 games after a bronze in the long jump. For the second year in a row, Taylor's 17.81m was the best triple jump in the world in 2012.

2013 Move to England Taylor's coach, Rana Reider, was hired by British Athletics in late 2012 to work with elite-level British sprinters and jumpers at the High Performance Athletics Centre (HiPAC) at Loughborough University. Taylor followed Reider to the English Midlands after the 2012 London Olympics. Taylor talked about the transition to living and training in England in a "Feature Interview" for Track & Field News magazine April 2014 issue. He said the biggest challenge was the cooler weather (compared to what he enjoyed in Gainesville, Florida), but that he enjoyed living in an apartment in the center of Loughborough and being able to skateboard the one mile to the HiPAC facility.

2014 Outdoor Season, Addition of the 400 Meters In an April 2014 "Feature Interview" for Track & Field News, Taylor said that, after finishing 2013 ranked No. 2 in the world, he and coach Reider planned to treat 2014 as "a down year", since there were no World or Olympic championships.Track & Field News monthly magazine, April 2014 (Vol. 67, no. 4; pp. 14–16), feature "T&FN Interview: Christian Taylor". He planned to run a lot more. As a way of mixing-up his training, he planned to compete in some 400 Meter races in the United States, beginning with the Florida Relays in Gainesville on April 4–5, 2014. Taylor once ran 400 Meters in 45.34 seconds during his freshman year (2009) at the University of Florida. [Note: Running under 45 seconds would place Taylor amongst the world's elite quarter-milers.] At the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, Taylor ran 45.17 making him a unique dual threat.

2015; American record

Taylor opened season in a competitive event at Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix. His on his final attempt equalled the number 4 performer in history, Teddy Tamgho. Coming into the meet, that would be the third best mark, however earlier in the rounds 21-year-old Pedro Pablo Pichardo had jumped , so Taylor was jumping just to try to get out of second place, Tamgho in third had already hobbled off the track injured.

This was the first competition in history to have two men jump over 18 metres, already called "the greatest triple jump competition ever.". Two weeks later, Pichardo improved again to 18.08m and in July, Taylor became the second man in history to jump 18 metres twice in the same competition at Lausanne while improving his personal best to 18.06m.