slump to produce his best effort of the year when it mattered most -- at yesterday's triple jump final at the World Outdoor Athletic Championships in Athens, Greece.

But it still wasn't good enough to reap the same reward as two years' ago when he captured silver at these championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Instead his best leap of 17.22 metres (56 feet, six inches) was good for only fifth place -- one better than his placing in last year's Olympic final in Atlanta where he jumped 16.95m (55ft 8ins).

However, he did have the satisfaction yesterday of beating Olympic gold medallist Kenny Harrison of the US, who finished ninth with a leap 17.05m.

In Gothenburg in 1995, Wellman had taken the silver with a jump of 17.62m after Britain's Jonathan Edwards twice smashed the world record, his best being a whopping 18.29m which still stands as the mark to beat.

Yesterday nobody got close -- not even Edwards himself, who had to settle for the same silver he picked up in Atlanta after a best jump of 17.69m (58ft 1 in).

Gold went to another of Wellman's long-time rivals, Cuba's Yoelvis Quesada with a leap of 17.85m (58ft 63 ins).

That jump was the best performance in the world this year and also a Cuban national record for Quesada, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Monday.

Aliecer Urrutia, also from Cuba, won the bronze medal with 17.64m.

Quesada added to his country's earlier titles in Athens in the high and long jumps.

"I want to tell the Cuban people that now we're first in the world in jumping,'' he said. After passing on his final jump because the gold was assured, Quesada was greeted on the track and hugged by Alberto Juantorena, the 1976 Olympic champion at 400 and 800 metres who's now the head of the Cuban athletics federation.

The success of Quesada followed on the heels of those by long jumper Ivan Pedroso on Tuesday, and high jumper Javier Sotomayor on Wednesday.

Wellman had barely qualified for yesterday's final after grabbing the 12th and final spot on Wednesday with a less than impressive 16.84m (55ft 3ins).

But he improved considerably, his mark of 17.22m representing his best competitive jump in more than a year.

Wellman, whose next major competition will likely be next year's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, was one of three Bermudians competing at the Worlds.

Veteran sprinter Troy Douglas reached the semi-finals of the 200 metres on Thursday when he missed out on a place in the final by an agonising one hundredth of a second, clocking 20.43 for fifth place.

Last weekend young sprinter Devon Bean was eliminated in the opening heats of the 100 metres.

Bean is expected back in Bermuda next week while Douglas, who lives in Holland, and Wellman will likely remain in Europe to compete on the lucrative Grand Prix circuit.

BIG EFFORT -- Bermuda's Brian Wellman launches himself into a leap of 17.22 metres in yesterday's triple jump final at the World Athletic Championships in Greece. It was good enough for fifth place. -- Reuter