Bob Beamon is an American former long jumper, born in 1946, who at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics jumped 8.90 metres, breaking the existing world record by 55 centimetres. The mark stood as the world record for 23 years until Mike Powell jumped 8.95 metres in 1991, but Beamon's jump remains the Olympic record more than half a century later and, as of the mid 2020s, is still the second longest wind-legal jump in history.
Facts
Career HighlightSet the long jump world record of 8.90 metres at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, a mark that stood for almost 23 years. 1 Classification
Competition Category FAQs
Why is Bob Beamon's 1968 long jump still so famous?
Olympedia calls it the outstanding single performance in track and field history: 8.90 metres and the first jump past 28 feet and 29 feet.
Olympedia describes his win at the 1968 Olympics as what is generally recognized as the outstanding single performance in track and field history. He cleared 8.90 metres, becoming the first man to break both the 28-foot and the 29-foot barrier, and finished more than two feet ahead of his nearest rival. Olympedia also notes that, because of injury, he never again approached his 1968 form and turned professional in 1973.
Connections
Competed In
Source Wikipedia, Bob Beamon
Plays
Source Wikipedia, Bob Beamon
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Wikipedia, Bob BeamonLead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
Robert Beamon (born August 29, 1946) is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Bob Beamon
WikipediaLead sentence, nationality clause
is an American former track and field athlete
Lead sentence, parenthetical birth date
born August 29, 1946
Lead third sentence, standing record clause
The jump is still the Olympic record and the second-longest in history unassisted by wind.
Wikipedia, article summary lead
Robert Beamon (born August 29, 1946) is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
Plays: Athletics, lead paragraph, plays
Robert Beamon (born August 29, 1946) is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.
Competed In: 1968 Summer Olympics, Article text (competition)
Beamon entered the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City as the favorite to win the gold medal, having won 22 of the 23 meets he had competed in that year, including a career-best of 8.33 m (27 ft 3+3⁄4 in) and a world's best of 8.39 m (27 ft 6+1⁄4 in) that was ineligible for the record books due to excessive wind assistance.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.