In an exciting, edge-of-the-seat final, Dwight Phillips of the United States won the gold medal in the men's long jump at the ninth World Athletics Championships in Paris on Friday.
While Beckford fouled his first jump, Phillips registered a leap of 8.09m. Beckford replied with 7.99m on his second attempt, while Phillips then fouled his jump.
Both then took their third attempts successfully, Beckford registering 8.16m and Phillips responding with 8.22m.
Beckford could only manage 8.12m on his fourth attempt, while Phillips again fouled his jump.
The 28 year-old Jamaican, who has a personal best of 8.62m achieved back in 1997, then upped the ante with a jump of 8.28m, his season's best, on his fifth visit to the pit. Once again, Phillips responded with a magnificent leap, registering 8.32m, just 12cm under his own personal best mark of 8.44m achieved only two months ago.
It was all or nothing for Beckford on his final attempt now. He had to get at least a centimetre ahead of Phillips to keep his gold medal hopes alive and put the pressure back on the 26 year-old American to produce one big leap on his final attempt.
In the event, Phillips did not have to take his final jump at all. All Beckford could manage was 8.14m, as Phillips exulted and skipped his last attempt, winning the gold by a mere 4cm.
Yago Lamela of Spain, who has a personal best of 8.56m and had briefly looked like upsetting the two top when he had cleared 8.22m on his fifth attempt, before both Beckford and Phillips beat that, got the bronze medal.
Ignisious Gaisah of Ghana, who registered 8.13m on his second attempt, came fourth, followed by Hussein Taher al-Sabee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with 8.10m, also on his fifth attempt.
Photograph: Getty Images