Thetriple jump, sometimes referred to as thehop, step and jump or thehop, skip and jump, is atrack and field event, similar tolong jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple jump was inspired by accounts of lengthy jumps at theancient Olympic Games and has been amodern Olympics event since the Games' inception in 1896.
According toWorld Athletics rules, "the hop shall be made so that an athlete lands first on the same footas that from which he has taken off; in the step he shall land on theother foot, from which, subsequently, the jump is performed."[1]
Historical sources on the ancient Olympic Games occasionally mention jumps of 15 metres or more. This led sports historians to conclude that these must have been a series of jumps, thus providing the basis for the triple jump.[2] However, there is no evidence for the triple jump being included in the ancient Olympic Games, and the recorded extraordinary distances may be due to the artistic license of the authors of victory poems, rather than attempts to report accurate results.[3]
The triple jump was a part of theinaugural modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, although at the time it consisted of two hops on the same foot and then a jump.[4] The first modern Olympic champion,James Connolly, was a triple jumper. Early Olympics also included thestanding triple jump, although this has since been removed from the Olympic program and is rarely performed in competition today. The women's triple jump was introduced into the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.[5]
The approach is one of the most important parts of an athlete's jump. The athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark, from which the triple jump is measured. The takeoff mark is commonly either a piece of wood or similar material embedded in the runway, or a rectangle painted on the runway surface. In modern championships, a strip ofplasticine, tape, or modeling clay is attached to the far edge of the board to record athletes overstepping or "scratching" the mark, defined by the trailing edge of the board. These boards are placed at different places on the runway depending on how far the athlete can jump. Typically the boards are set 40 feet (12 m), 32 feet (9.8 m), and 24 feet (7.3 m) from the pit. These are the most common boards seen at the high school and junior levels, but boards can be placed anywhere on the runway. There are three phases of the triple jump: the "hop" phase, the "bound" or "step" phase, and the "jump" phase. They all play an important role in the jump itself. These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence. The athlete has to maintain a good speed through each phase. They should also try to stay consistent to avoid fouls.[7]
The hop begins with the athlete jumping from the take-off board on one leg, which for descriptive purposes, will be the right leg. Precise placement of the foot on the take-off is important for the athlete to avoid a foul. The objective of the first phase is to hopout, with athletes focusing all momentum forward. The hop landing phase is very active, involving a powerful backward "pawing" action of the right leg, with the right take-off foot landing heel first on the runway.
The hop landing also marks the beginning of the step phase, where the athlete utilizes the backward momentum of the right leg to immediately execute a powerful jump forward and upwards, the left leg assisting the take-off with a hip flexion thrust similar to a bounding motion. This leads to the step-phase mid-air position, with the right take-off leg trailing flexed at the knee, and the left leg now leading flexed at the hip and knee. The jumper then holds this position for as long as possible, before extending the knee of the leading left leg and then immediately beginning a powerful backward motion of the whole left leg, again landing on the runway with a powerful backward pawing action. The takeoff leg should be fully extended with the drive leg thigh just below parallel to the ground. The takeoff leg stays extended behind the body with the heel held high. The drive leg extends with a flexed ankle and snaps downward for a quick transition into the jump phase. The athlete tries to take the farthest step they can while maintaining balance and control, using techniques such as pulling their leg up as high as possible.
The step landing forms the take-off of the final phase (the jump), where the athlete utilizes the backward force from the left leg to take off again. The jump phase is very similar to thelong jump although most athletes have lost too much speed by this time to manage a full hitch kick, and mostly used is a hang or sail technique.
When landing in the sand-filled pit, the jumper should aim to avoid sitting back on landing or placing either hand behind the feet. The sandpit usually begins 13m from the take-off board for male international competition or 11m from the board for international female and club-level male competition. Each phase of the triple jump should get progressively higher, and there should be a regular rhythm to the three landings.
A "foul", also known as a "scratch", or missed jump, occurs when a jumper oversteps the takeoff mark, misses the pit entirely, does not use the correct foot sequence throughout the phases, or does not perform the attempt in the allotted amount of time (usually about 90 seconds). When a jumper "scratches", the seated official will raise a red flag, and the jumper who was "on deck", or up next, prepares to jump.
It shall not be considered a foul if an athlete while jumping, should touch or scrape the ground with his/her "sleeping leg". Also called a "scrape foul", "sleeping leg" touch violations were ruled as fouls before the mid-1980s. The IAAF changed the rules following outrage at the1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow when Soviet field officials in themen's triple jump final ruled as foul eight of the twelve jumps made by two leading competitors (from Brazil and Australia) thus helping two Soviet jumpers win the gold and silver medals.
Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list ofwind-assisted jumps (equal or superior to 17.75 m). Only the best-assisted mark that is superior to the legal best is shown:
Jonathan Edwards jumped 18.43 (+2.4) in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France on 25 June 1995.
Willie Banks jumped 18.20 (+5.2) in Indianapolis, Indiana on 16 July 1988.
Mike Conley jumped 18.17 (+2.1) in Barcelona, Spain on 3 August 1992.
Yoelbi Quesada jumped 17.97 (+7.5) in Madrid, Spain on 20 June 1995.
Charles Simpkins jumped 17.93 (+5.2) in Indianapolis, Indiana on 16 July 1988.
Jordan Díaz jumped 17.93 (+2.5) in Nerja, Spain on 26 June 2022.
Christian Olsson jumped 17.92 (+3.4) in Gateshead, United Kingdom on 13 June 2003.
Denis Kapustin jumped 17.86 (+5.7) in Seville, Spain on 5 June 1994.
Nelson Évora jumped 17.82 (+2.5) in Seixal, Portugal on 26 June 2009.
Keith Connor jumped 17.81 (+4.6) in Brisbane, Australia on 9 October 1982.
Kenta Bell jumped 17.76 (+2.2)A in El Paso, Texas on 10 April 2004.
Gennadiy Valyukevich jumped 17.75 (+3.0) in Uzhhorod, Soviet Union on 27 April 1986
Brian Wellman jumped 17.75 (+7.1) in Madrid, Spain on 20 June 1995.
Jumps made en route to final marks that would be top 25 performances:[29]
Yulimar Rojas also jumped 15.42 (+1.2) in Lausanne, Switzerland on 26 August 2021; 15.41 (+1.1) in Tokyo, Japan on 1 August 2021; 15.39 (+0.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 18 July 2022; 15.31 (+0.2) in Andújar, Spain on 22 May 2021; 15.27 (−0.4) in Zürich, Switzerland on 9 September 2021; 15.25 (+0.1) in Tokyo on 1 August 2021.
Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list ofwind-assisted jumps (equal or superior to 15.02 m). Only the best-assisted mark that is superior to the legal best is shown:
Magdelin Martínez jumped 15.24 (+4.2)A in Sestriere, Italy on 1 August 2004.
Anna Pyatykh jumped 15.17 (+2.4) in Athens, Greece on 2 July 2006.
B The original bronze medalist (Hrysopiyi Devetzi ofGreece) was disqualified for doping in 2016.[37] The medal was given toAnna Pyatykh but later in 2017 she was disqualified for the use of steroids.[38]
^Koski, Rissanen & Tahvanainen (2004). Antiikin urheilu. Olympian kentiltä Rooman areenoille. [The Sports of Antiquity. From the Fields of Olympia to Roman Arenas.] Jyväskylä: Atena Kustannus Oy.ISBN951-796-341-6
^Adams, Patricia (2006-03-01). History of the Highland Games and Women in Scottish Athletics....contained in the Irish "Book of Leinster", which was written in the twelfth century AD...this book describes the Tailteann Games held at Telltown, County Meath from 1829 BC until at least 554 BC...included in these events...were the geal-ruith (triple jump).Clan MacTavish Genealogy and History, 1 March 2006. Retrieved fromhttp://www.dunardry.net/ladies_lounge.htmlArchived 2008-05-17 at theWayback Machine.
.jpg)
