Long jump revamp
Ancient athletics event to bring in take-off zone rather than board ‘to make every jump count’
World Athletics are considering one of the most radical changes in the history of the long jump, with a take-off board to be replaced by a zone.
under the proposal, which is already being trialled, athletes will have a bigger designated area on the runway from which to launch their jump. It will then be measured electronically from the exact point of take-off to where they land using Hawk-eye-style technology.
Currently, the starting point of a jump is taken as the edge of the fixed synthetic board, rather than where a competitor takes off.
World Athletics have come up with the idea to ensure that ‘every single jump counts’ after data revealed that a third of all efforts at last summer’s World Championships were fouls, where an athlete had overstepped the board.
The new concept will initially be tested at low-level meetings this year and, if it proves to be successful, it could be rolled out for elite competitions from 2026 ahead of the olympics in los Angeles in 2028.
World Athletics chief executive Jon ridgeon explained: ‘We are trying to tackle the events that perhaps are less popular. How can we make them more popular, more exciting, more engaging?
‘If you take the long jump, at the World Championships, a third of all the jumps were no-jumps. That doesn’t work. That’s a waste of time. So we are testing a takeoff zone rather than a take- off board. We will measure from where the athlete takes off to where they land in the pit. That means every single jump counts. It adds to the jeopardy and drama in the competition. At the same time, we are working out ways we can get instant results so you don’t have to wait 20 to 30 seconds before the result pops up. It’s about making what we have got already even more entertaining for the future.’
The long jump has been around since the ancient olympic Games and was one of the events which made up the pentathlon in 708 BC. It is believed the jump was made from a board even then. It has been part of every modern olympics from when they started in Athens in 1896.
notable olympic long jump champions include Jesse owens and Carl lewis of the uSA, and Great Britain’s Greg rutherford.
‘You cannot make change in a sport that was basically invented 150 years ago without some controversy,’ said ridgeon.
‘But we think it is worth doing.
This is not about next year, but making sure we have got a sport that is fit for purpose for another 150 years.
‘We will spend this year testing it in real-life circumstances with very good athletes. If it doesn’t pass testing, we will never introduce it. We are not going to introduce things on a whim because one of us thinks it is a good idea.
‘In terms of a global level, a lot of these ideas may not be even introduced until 2026. We really want to spend the next two years thoroughly working them through and then we will introduce them.
‘Jazmin Sawyers ( Britain’s european indoor champion) is a super bright athlete and I think she’s someone who is a good example who will embrace change and work with us, but she might not.
‘If you have dedicated your life to hitting that take- off board perfectly and then suddenly we replace it with a take-off zone, I totally get that there might be initial resistance. But as long as it is based on good testing and good data, I think eventually it will work through.’
Athletes and coaches are being consulted on the possible change. If a take-off zone is introduced, it will likely lead to a new set of records given the discipline will have fundamentally changed.
Meanwhile, Josh Kerr will go for more global glory in front of his home Scottish crowd after opting to run in next week’s World Indoor Championships.
World 1500metres champion Kerr has been named in the Great Britain squad, fresh from breaking the two-mile world record in new York earlier this month.
The 26-year-old will race in the 3,000m and is the only individual medallist from last year’s outdoor World Championships in Britain’s party of 20. laura Muir will also run the 3,000m in Glasgow, where she could add to her global medals, which include olympic 1500m silver and world bronze.