Long jump

The long jump is a traditional track-and-field event. It has been practiced since the ancient Greek Olympics and remains a staple of modern track-and-field competitions. Athletes compete by running a short distance, leaping as far forward as they can from a designated takeoff point called a board, and landing in a long pit that typically contains gravel or sand. The event requires a great deal of speed, balance, and strength. The distance is measured from the edge of the board to the rearmost point where any part of the jumper's body made contact with the ground. Jumpers ideally take off from a board as close to the pit's edge as possible and prevent any backward motion upon landing. The men's world record in long jump is 8.95 meters (29.36 feet), set by Mike Powell in 1991. The women's world record is 7.52 meters (24.67 feet), set by Galina Chistyakova in 1988.

Brief History

The ancient Greek Olympics were primarily designed to help train competitors for the lifestyle of a soldier. To that end, the long jump was a test of competitors' ability to cross streams and other hazardous terrain. Evidence shows that this iteration of the long jump required jumpers to carry weights in both hands. The jumpers used the weights to help increase their forward momentum, swinging them as they launched and throwing them away in midair.

The long jump, free of the weights used in ancient Greece, has been a part of the modern Olympic Games since their inception in 1896. In its early incarnations, the long jump was known as the broad jump. During the early 1900s, it was accompanied by the standing long jump, a similar event that soon faded from international competition. In 1935, Jesse Owens jumped 8.13 meters (26.67 feet), which set a world record for decades. The long jump first became a women's Olympic sport in 1948.

Bob Beamon set a new record of 8.9 meters (29.2 feet) in 1968, sparking a wave of competition. In the 1970s, jumpers began practicing the technique of flipping forward in midair. The front flip was banned from the long jump after only a few uses in elite competition due to jumper safety concerns.

The 1980s saw the emergence of Carl Lewis, a dominant jumper who claimed gold in both the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. Although Lewis continued to be one of the most prolific long jumpers in the world, it was Mike Powell who broke Beamon's record in 1991. Lewis still dominated the Olympics, however, winning gold in both 1992 and 1996. He did secure the indoor world record: 8.79 meters (28.84 feet). Indoor and outdoor records are kept separate because wind can have a substantial impact on jumpers' results, and indoor events do not have to take that into consideration.

American Brittney Reese proved to be a force in women's long jumping in the early twenty-first century. Between 2009 and 2013, she won six global championships. Although she was unable to break Galina Chistyakova's record, she was one of the few women worldwide to jump for more than 7 meters (23 feet).

Overview

A long jump begins with an approach. Jumpers get a running start toward the board that serves as the designated takeoff point, building as much speed as possible. Because jumping as close to the edge of the board as possible is important, jumpers practice their approaches extensively. Most jumpers know the exact number of steps they must take before their jump and will follow the same pattern each time. Many long jumpers compete in sprinting events because short-distance speed is so essential to the success of both.

As a jumper closes in on the board, transitioning from a sprint to a jump while retaining as much speed as possible becomes the goal. A jumper's second-to-last stride is longer than normal, and the last stride is much shorter. At the same time, the jumper shifts his or her body downward and then up to prepare to launch. A jumper's final steps should be flat to ensure a stable launch.

After the launch, a jumper's body will naturally rotate in a way that brings his or her feet toward the ground. Multiple techniques can correct this, each with its own pros and cons. Before it was banned from competition, the forward somersault technique was one attempt to correct the rotation while preserving momentum. Methods that are still in use include the stride jump style, the hang style, and the hitch kick. With the stride jump style, jumpers maintain their legs' positions as if they are taking a very long stride. One leg is forward, and the other trails behind. Both legs are kept high and away from the ground. The trailing leg is brought forward as late as possible. With the hang style, jumpers tuck both legs underneath their body and raise their arms in the air to help slow rotation. As they prepare to land, they lift their legs forward and lower their arms and body for balance. With the hitch kick, jumpers swing their forward leg backward while bringing their trailing leg forward, eventually coming into landing position.

In a typical competition, jumpers have a specific number of attempts, which allows room for errors or fouls. A foul occurs if a jumper steps beyond the edge of the designated board during the approach. If a jumper completes multiple legal jumps, the longest one is recorded. Shorter jumps or fouls do not detract from the longest one unless a tie occurs. In that case, officials use the second-best jump of each of the tied athletes to determine the winner. Depending on the number of competitors, additional rounds may be held for athletes who completed the longest jumps.

When long jumping takes place outdoors, wind plays a significant role. Officials measure wind speed and direction to determine the amount of wind resistance or assistance in terms of meters per second. If wind assistance is more than two meters per second, jumps are considered invalid for record-breaking purposes. They are still valid results in that competition, though, because other jumpers are competing in the same conditions. Officials may adjust certain results if the wind changes, however. Jumpers can set valid records in any amount of wind resistance, but the conditions make it difficult to do so.

Bibliography

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"How Wind Assistance Works in Track & Field." Elite Feet, www.elitefeet.com/how-wind-assistance-works-in-track-field. Accessed 29 May 2017.

"The Importance of Wind Gauge in Track Meet—Wind Correction and Correlation with Performance." Adrian Sprints, 3 Aug. 2011, www.adriansprints.com/2011/08/importance-of-wind-gauge-in-track-meet.html. Accessed 27 May 2017.

"Long Jump." BrianMac Sports Coach, www.brianmac.co.uk/longjump/. Accessed 29 May 2017.

"Long Jump." International Association of Athletics Federations, www.iaaf.org/disciplines/jumps/long-jump. Accessed 27 May 2017.

"Long Jump Men." Olympic Games, www.olympic.org/athletics/long-jump-men. Accessed 28 May 2017.

"Long Jump Women." Olympic Games, www.olympic.org/london-1948/athletics/long-jump-women. Accessed 28 May 2017.

Miller, Stephen G. Ancient Greek Athletics. Yale University Press, 2004.