The long jump can just as easily be named the “run and jump” or “sprint and jump,” because the actual jump is only part of the process. The origins of the long jump can be traced to the Olympics in Ancient Greece, when athletes carried weights in each hand. These were swung forward on take-off and released in the middle of the jump in a bid to increase momentum. The long jump, as we know it today, has been part of the Olympics since the first Games in 1896. The men’s event has seen some long-standing world records by US jumpers. Jesse Owens jumped 8.13m in 1935, a distance that was not exceeded until 1960. Bob Beamon flew out to a world record 8.90m in the rarefied air of Mexico City at the 1968 Olympic Games a mark that remained until Mike Powell surpassed it with a leap of 8.95m at the 1991 World Championships. As a winner of four successive Olympic titles from 1984 to 1996 Carl Lewis is regarded as the world’s greatest male long jumper in history. The inaugural women’s Olympic long jump took place in 1948 and athletes from five different regions have struck gold in the event; Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania. 스포츠토토
Rules
- No part of the athlete’s foot should cross the front edge of the foul line. If, at the point of take-off, any part of his foot crosses the front edge of the foul line, then the jump is termed to be illegal or a ‘foul jump’, and does not count.
- Typically, in International track and field events, a long jumper has three attempts to register his or her best legal jump. A foul jump accounts for an attempt, but the time isn’t registered. Only the farthest legal jump counts.
- The distance, or the ‘jump’ is measured from the front edge of the foul line to the first landing point of the athlete. To better understand this, consider an athlete taking off legally from the foul line and landing on his feet 15 ft from the foul line. However, if, while landing, his hands touch the ground before his legs and a foot behind his farthest landing point, he would be awarded a jump of 14 ft, since the hands are nearer to the foul line than the feet and are the first point of contact.
- Similarly, even if the athlete takes off from behind the foul line, the starting point is still considered to be the front edge of the foul line, rather than the athlete’s actual point of take off.
- Somersaults are not permitted during the jump.
- The maximum allowed thickness for a long jumper’s shoe sole is 13 mm.
- Records made with the assistance of a tailwind of more than 2 m/s are not considered. However, the time is registered in the ongoing competition, since all the athletes benefit from the same wind conditions.
A successful long jumper has a unique combination of talents that would make many jumpers successful in a variety of track and field events, such as sprints, hurdles, and the other jumps. While there’s no substitute for speed, pure speed without control, and a consistent approach, isn’t enough. That means long jumpers must combine physical gifts with many hours of training to literally rise above the competition.