40 Years And Counting For Bob Beamon
Posted by Jimmie R. Markham | July 28, 2008
Nearly forty years after he jumped the jump that stunned the world, Bob Beamon still holds the Olympic record for the men’s long jump. His world-record jump of 8.90m (29′ - 2 4/10"), which he set on 10/18/1968, was, for many years, considered to be unbreakable. To this day, only one man has jump farther, and he only did it once. Mike Powell recorded a mark of 8.95m (29′ - 4 4/10") in Tokyo, Japan on 8/30/91. The same day that Powell set the existing world record, Carl Lewis jumped 8.87m (29′ - 1 2/10"), still the 3rd farthest of all time.
This year, Irving Saladino jumped 8.73m (28′ - 7 7/10") the farthest anyone has jumped in 14 years and the 11th farthest of all time. As impressive as Saladino’s performance was this past May, it’s safe to say that Beamon’s incredible Olympic Record is going to stand for years to come.
Topics: Blog, Jumps, Olympic Games, Olympic History |