The Record Jump. In the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico, an incredible jump by the athletic but inconsistent American long jumper Bob Beamon yielded a world record that would stand for more than 20 years. . Bob Beamon's Record Jump Some great athletes, like Carl Lewis and Edwin Moses, carve their place in history through sustained excellence over many years, in many different settings. Others achieve greatness with a single astonishing performance that eclipses the rest of their career. Bob Beamon was one of the latter. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Beamon did not just break the world record for the long jump--he destroyed it. Beamon leaped 8.9 m (29 ft 2 1/2 in), bettering the previous world record by 55 cm (21 1/2 in). No one else had ever approached 28 ft (8.53 m), much less better than 29 ft (8.84 m). And no one would challenge Beamon's record for more than 20 years. Beamon himself would never again produce a jump anywhere near his stunning leap in Mexico City. A talented but erratic jumper, the 6-ft-3-in (1.9-m) Beamon had rarely evidenced the mastery he demonstrated in Mexico City. He had near world-class speed (9.5 seconds for 100 yards), explosive spring in his legs, and a tall, gangly build, but he fouled often and his technique was unpolished, especially when compared to competitors, such as Beamon's graceful Olympic teammate Ralph Boston. Prior to Mexico City, Beamon's best jump was a wind-aided 8.4 m (27 ft 6 1/2 in). His best legal jump was 8.33 m (27 ft 4 in), about 2 cm (about 1 in) shy of the world record. Coming into the Olympic final, Ralph Boston was considered the favorite. He shared the world record at 8.35 m (27 ft 4 3/4 in) and had won the Olympic gold medal in the long jump in 1960 and the silver in 1964. Beamon barely qualified for the final, managing 8.19 m (26 ft 10 1/2 in) on his final jump in the preliminary round. Nonetheless, his prospects were good. The high altitude of Mexico City, which sits at 2,240 m (7,350 ft) above sea level, and the fast surface of the Olympic Stadium track had already produced several record-breaking performances. The long jump finals began with three jumpers fouling. As Beamon, the fourth jumper, prepared to jump, the tailwind dropped just below the allowable speed for a record attempt. Beamon sprinted down the runway, planted his foot, and soared into the air. "Beamon got tremendous height on his opening jump," the New York Times reported the next day. "His arms flapped like a bird and he seemed to take off like one." Knees to his chest, Beamon sailed almost to the end of the long jump pit. When he landed, he knew he'd broken the world record. But only after several minutes, when the officials measured the jump and the distance--8.9 meters--flashed on the scoreboard, did he realize the magnitude of his accomplishment. Beamon broke into tears, kneeling before Boston with his head in his hands. The following jumpers continued to compete, but the long jump competition was effectively over with Beamon's first attempt. It was an extraordinary feat. The world record in the long jump had stood at about 7.62 m (about 25 ft) at the turn of the 20th century. By 1924 it was 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in). It took 44 years to increase the record by 55 cm (1 ft 9 1/2 in). Beamon accomplished that in a single jump. It was the equivalent of an 8.5-second 100-meter dash, or a mile run in 3 minutes 30 seconds. Beamon's feat has often been compared to the first sub-four-minute mile, but there are important differences. While Roger Bannister carefully planned his assault on the four-minute mile, working toward it in stages and running under controlled conditions, Beamon's jump was a surprise. Bannister's mile was part of a predictable progression, and was soon followed by faster performances by Bannister himself and other runners. Beamon had never produced such a mark and never would again. After failing to make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, he competed on the short-lived professional circuit in the United States before retiring from competition. Eventually he would complete a degree in sociology and go on to be a coach and educator. It took another 15 years before his successors even reached the 8.53 m (28 ft) mark. And until 1991, when Mike Powell of the United States jumped 8.95 m (29 ft 4 1/2 in), Bob Beamon's extraordinary record had stood unsurpassed. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
