full day of competition at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday.

Wellman produced the third best leap in qualifying setting the stage for the long-awaited showdown between the Bermudian and Jonathan Edwards of Britain, who shattered the triple jump world record on July 18.

Wellman jumped 17.44 metres (57 feet, 23 inches) to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that he was back on track after being mired in a slump. He has spent the last several weeks resting up for the Outdoor Worlds.

While his mark was below the wind-aided jump of 17.79 metres (58-3) he established in Madrid last month, Wellman surpassed the 17 metres mark for only the first time during his last three jumps.

But it was Jerome Romain of Dominica who stole the spotlight on Saturday with the best qualifying mark of 17.48 metres (57-41 ).

Edwards, who broke Willie Banks' long-standing record with a jump of 17.98 metres (59 feet) at a meet in Salamanca, Spain last month, finished a surprising second with a leap of 17.46 (57-31 ). Fourth overall was Sergey Arzamasov of Kazakhstan, who jumped 17.27 (56-8).

Wellman's arch-rival Yoelvis Queseda of Cuba was fifth overall with a jump of 17.26 (56-71 ) while his compatriot Joel Garcia followed with a leap of 16.98 (55-81 ) proving that today's final (12.30 p.m. Bermuda time) will be an exciting and wide open affair.

After Edwards broke the record, Wellman said that the new mark would be the one to beat during the Outdoor Worlds.

"My big goal of the world championships is to win it,'' declared Wellman recently. "The way things are going it looks like I'm going to have to jump that far (59 feet) to win.'' Later he said: "I've done some things in practice which shows me what I can do and I know what I can do. Nobody has done anything that I feel I can't achieve or exceed, including 60 feet, five inches.

Saturday's jump was Wellman's sixth best of 1995.

Troy Douglas, the only other Bermudian competing in this year's World Outdoors, will take part in the 200 metres on Thursday and Friday.

See page 24 for more on the Worlds