This amazing story starts in 1968 with a jump called the ‘Leap of the Century’. At the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico, Bob Beamon jumped 8m 90cm. Many thought this jump would not be broken for 100 years, it was so good.
Bob jumped so far he did not find out how far he jumped for 15 mins as the equipment did not measure that far. Americans use feet and inches to measure and when the distance of 8m 90cm was shown on the screen he still didn’t know how far he jumped.
Seeing that we are studying length in Maths this week, we are going to look at the long jump. Can you find out who this incredible athlete is? Where and when was this photo taken? Why is this a famous photo?
Can you tell us some long jump rules?
In order to make a long jump world record, the wind behind you must be less than 2 meters per second.
Experts said Bob Beamon’s long jump world record would not be broken for 100 years. Imagine then, 2 people breaking the record 5 minutes apart.
Introducing Carl Lewis (he matched Jesse Owens record in the 1984 Olympics – 4 medals). Carl lewis was the favorite to win the long jump at the World Championships in Tokyo. He had won 65 long jump competitions in a row.
