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The fact that you have a 30-year track record doesn’t seem to be a good thing for athletics as a sport.
No one has ever eclipsed the 18.29m mark set by Jonathan Edwards at the World Championships in Gothenburg on August 7, 1995, which gives him a sense of pride in his triple jump world record.
According to Edwards, who is Britain’s only track and field world record holder in regularly contested events, “when you think of all the developments in sports science, nutrition, training methods, and all of those things, I don’t think it necessarily speaks to a really healthy and thriving sport,” he said.
Perhaps that underplays his own success. Only seven other men in human history have reached the milestone of 18 meters.
Edwards was described as “remarkable.”
No one had ever jumped above 18 meters in ‘legal’ wind conditions when Edwards arrived at Göteborg’s Ullevi Stadium.
He had succeeded twice within the first two competition rounds.
In one of British athletics’ greatest performances, he broke the record with his opening-round jump of 18.16m and added another 13cm to it about 20 minutes later.
He also had the record for the longest jump in wind-assisted 18.43m jump in history, breaking American Willie Banks’ previous record by one centimeter with a jump of 17.98. He also had the record for the event’s form athlete that year.
At 71 kg, he was also lighter than many other athletes and has always described himself as a sprinter rather than a jumper. He likens his contact with the ground during the hop-step-jump phases to a pebble skimming the water.
He had changed his technique that season, switching to a double arm movement from an alternate arm movement, which he claimed helped him stay “so well balanced” throughout each phase.
He admitted that he bought sunglasses at the Gothenburg airport to conceal his eyes while warming up so that his rivals “couldn’t see the fear” he had, despite being far from confident.
His rivals’ perceptions were completely different.
Jerome Romain, who won the bronze medal in Gothenburg, said, “We studied Edwards videos day in, day out” during training. He said, “The things he did were just remarkable.”
Athletics “hasn’t kept up” with other sports.
According to Edwards, athletics has not “kept pace with the professionalization of sport,” which means talented young athletes are choosing other sports in order to earn more money. This is why, in his opinion, he still holds the triple jump world record.
He claimed that it doesn’t offer the same rewards as other sports.
You wouldn’t necessarily choose track and field if you were a talented young child. You wouldn’t choose a field event with lower rewards than a track event.
The disciplines were restricted to track races when four-time Olympian Michael Johnson established Grand Slam Track this year, a sport that saw competitors compete for the top prize of $100, 000 (£75, 125) at each meet.
UK Sport announced last year that UK Athletics would receive 8% less from the Los Angeles Games than it did from Paris 2024 in terms of funding for the sport, while UK Sport has cut funding for athletics for the second consecutive Olympic cycle.
Technology might not be a good thing.
Jumps are the top three men’s world records held by men between 1991 and 1995, three of whom have the longest standing records.
Despite that, footwear has advanced significantly since then, including in the form of technology.
However, according to Edwards, the carbon fiber plates on today’s running shoes may not actually help jumpers in comparison to the records-keeping running competitions.
Because I believe we are seeing that on the track, I wonder if a carbon fiber plate can handle the intensity of that impact before offering anything on the rebound.
You’re seeing athletes who actually have a spring effect, which is why you’re seeing some of the same situations as you do. I’m not sure whether the same kind of trampoline effect can have the same impact because the forces are so extreme when people take off, in fact, in long jump, even high jump.
Will there ever be a record-breaking?
The American Christian Taylor jump 1821 meters, which is the closest anyone has ever come to Edwards’ record.
This year’s leading distance is 17.80 meters, whereas last year’s Olympic gold was won with 17.86 meters.
“He can rest easy for a while,” Rogers said. I’m telling you, “This is not an easy feat.
If his record falters, Edwards claims he is unsure of how he will feel.
He said, “I’ve had it for a long time. Actually, it would be nice if it persisted.
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