MOSCOW, August 14 (R-Sport) - Nearly all of the top contenders including a Russian qualified safely for the final of the men's long jump at the world athletics championships in Moscow on Wednesday, led by Spain's Eusebio Caceres.
Caceres, a former world junior champion, leapt 8.25m for the top result of the morning, while 2008 Olympic and 2009 world silver medalist Godfrey Khotso Mokoena came second with 8.16m.
Russia's gold medal hope Alexander Menkov posted 8.11m, the last to crack the automatic qualifying mark of 8.10.
The other nine qualifiers for Friday's final includes four-time world champions and Athens gold medalist Dwight Phillips of the United States, but, surprisingly, not Britain's Olympic champion Greg Rutherford, who could only muster a best jump of 7.87.
