SAINT-DENIS France -- That guy in the space suit is reclaiming the long jump for the United States.

Dwight Phillips, impossible to miss in a futuristic full-body suit with the white hood, became the first American athlete in 10 years to win the world long jump title with a leap of 27 feet, 3} inches on Friday night.

"I felt I was the person to beat," he said. "That's the attitude that I had. I just wanted to bring the long jump back to the United States of America, and that's what I did."

Carl Lewis, Mike Powell and Larry Myricks once dominated the event for the United States, but for the last four world championships, Ivan Pedroso of Cuba has been the champion.

Pedroso went down with an ankle injury on his first attempt in qualifying Wednesday, and Phillips' winning jump was the shortest in the 20-year history of the meet. But that didn't make this victory any less satisfying.

A big smile never left his face at the medalists' news conference. At one point, while answering a slightly complicated question about why he had so few competitions before the worlds, Phillips simply stopped talking for a moment.

"I don't know what to say," he finally blurted out. "I'm so happy. I'm at a loss for words."

What the competition lacked in distance, it made up for in drama.

Phillips took the lead with his first jump at 26-6{, then James Beckford of Jamaica topped it with 26-9\ on his third jump. Phillips responded with 26-11} on his third try to regain the lead.

Beckford went 27-2 on his fifth attempt to move back into first. Phillips finally put matters to rest on his fifth try, going 27-3}, then doing a little dance as he left the pit.

"That's just a little dance we do that we do back in Decatur, Ga., my hometown," he said.

Beckford couldn't get another big jump, and settled for the silver. Yago Lamela of Spain took the bronze.

The 25-year-old Phillips began his college career as a triple jumper at Kentucky. He transferred to Arizona State in 2000 and concentrated solely on the long jump. He still lives in Tempe, where he is coached by Greg Kraft.

Phillips won the world indoor title in February, but still found himself relatively unnoticed in the sport, often taking a back seat to the more flamboyant Savante "Superman" Stringfellow, who failed to make the finals at the worlds.

"It's been pretty hard to get recognition," Phillips said. "We had Savante Stringfellow, and everybody tried to make him a great star. Obviously, he's a great athlete, but I feel I'm just as good or better."

He got plenty of recognition Friday night, and not just because of that wild outfit he wore to keep warm on a damp, chilly evening at Stade de France.

"I think they will pay attention after a while," he said. "I'm going to put some big jumps together in the future. With big jumps and winning championships, you can't always go unnoticed."

Phillips might not be finished at the worlds. He was a surprise addition to the six-man U.S. pool for the 400-meter relays and could run in the qualifying heats. He doesn't think that will happen because he's recovering from a torn abdominal muscle that especially hurts the day after he competes.

"But if they need me," he said, "I think I can gut it out and give them a strong leg."