Thestanding long jump, also known as thestanding broad jump, is anathletics event. It was anOlympic event until 1912. It is one of three standing variants oftrack and field jumping events, which also include thestanding high jump andstanding triple jump.
In performing the standinglong jump, the jumper stands at a line marked on the ground with the feet slightly apart. The athlete takes off and lands using both feet, swinging the arms and bending the knees to provide forward drive. The jump must be repeated if the athlete falls back or takes a step at take-off.
In the early part of the nineteenth century the standing long jump was a popular event athighland games and military sports, but very few of these performances were measured. On Friday 8 July 1853 the93rd Sutherland Highlanders held their annual Highland Games onChobham Common at which Private J. Forbes cleared 9ft 3in (2.82m) in the standing long jump.[1]
John Scriven ofCambridge University also cleared 9ft 3in (2.82m) at theSt John's College Sports atFenner's cricket ground on Thursday 15 March 1859.[2] Less than a week later, on the first day of the Cambridge University Sports on Monday 21 March, William Howard, ofTrinity College, Cambridge, cleared 10ft 2in (3.10m).[3][4]
At the annual regimental sports of the24th Regiment, atShorncliff Camp, nearCheriton inKent, on Thursday 16 September 1864, three men cleared ten feet. Private Lynch cleared 10ft 6in (3.20m), Private Mullis 10ft 3in (3.12m), and Private Crosey 10ft 1in (3.07m).[5]
Huddersfield Athletic Club held their first Annual Athletics Festival at the Rifle Ground, Trinity Street, Huddersfield, on Saturday 24 June 1865, at which two men, W. N. Haigh and J. W. Rhodes, tied at 10ft 8in (3.25m).[6][7][8]
Two months later, on Friday 18 August 1865, atDuns, in the borders of Scotland, around fifteen miles west ofBerwick-upon-Tweed, at a meeting of Duns Athletic Club, W. Allen cleared 10ft 9in (3.27m) in the standing long jump and 32ft 2in (9.80m) in the standing triple jump.[9]
Eleven feet was first cleared less than a week later. On Saturday 14 August 1865, Private Rushton (H Troop) cleared exactly 11ft 0in (3.35m) atAldershot during the Regimental Sports of the14th Hussars.[10]
Ten months later, on Saturday 24 June 1866, two men cleared eleven feet. At the second Annual Athletic Festival of Huddersfield Athletic Club both M. H. Bradley and J. W. Rhodes cleared 11ft 0in (3.35m) at the Rifle Ground, Trinity Street, Huddersfield.[11][12]
Exactly one year after that, at the third annual festival of Huddersfield Athletic Club on Saturday 13 July 1867, J. Duckworth, ofHaslingden Athletic Club, cleared 11ft 3 1/2in (3.44m).[13][14]
AtCarrick-on-Suir inCounty Tipperary in southernIreland, fifteen miles north west ofWaterford, on Monday 1 April 1872,Maurice Davin, a farmer who later became the first President of theGaelic Athletic Association (GAA), cleared 11ft 6in (3.50m). He also won the 56lbweight throw at 26ft 4in (8.02m), theshot put (17lb) with 38ft 8in (11.78m), thehammer (16lb) 98ft 0in (29.88m), thestanding triple jump 32ft 7in (9.93m), and had a walkover in thehigh jump.[15]
On Saturday 13 May 1876, at theChuckery Ground,Walsall, during the Second Annual Athletic Sports ofWalsall Cricket & Football Club, A. B. Lindop jumped 11ft 10in (3.60m).[16][17]
Ray Ewry set the first world record for the standing long jump at 3.47 m (11 ft4+1⁄2 in) on September 3, 1904. The current unofficial record is held byByron Jones, who recorded a jump of 3.73 m (12 ft2+3⁄4 in) at theNFL Combine on February 23, 2015,[18] beating the official world-record jump distance of 3.71 m (12 ft 2 in) set by Norwegian shot putter Arne Tvervaag from Ringerike FIK Sportclub in 1968, in a different setting with different controls.[19]
France held national championships at standing long jump and standing high jump for men from 1905 to 1920, and for women from 1917 to 1926. Their first standing long jump champions were Henri Jardin (Racing Club de France) 3.04m (9ft 11 3/4in), and Suzanne Liebrard (Fémina Sports) 2.215m (7ft 3in).[20]
When indoor arenas were built, the standing long jump began to disappear as an event. Today,Norway is the only country where the standing long jump is a national championship event. The Norwegian Championships in Standing Jumps (long jump andhigh jump) has been held at theNorwegian Indoor Athletics Championships every winter since 1995.[21][22]
The standing long jump is also one of the events at theNFL Combine,[23] it was one of the standardized test events as part of thePresident's Award on Physical Fitness,[24] as well as the physical fitness test that officer cadets must complete at theRoyal Military College of Canada and theUnited States Air Force Academy.[25] In the Brazilian police forces, a minimum performance in a standing long jump test is required to join the Federal Police (2.14 m for men 1.66 m for women[26]) and the Federal Highway Police (2.00 m for men 1.60 m for women).[27]
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
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| 1906 Athens details |  Ray Ewry (USA) | Martin Sheridan (USA) | Lawson Robertson (USA) |
| Track |
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