Beamonesque- My Actifit Report Card: October 18 2022

In the world of athletics there is a word that is used colloquially when an athlete achieves a mark that is considered extraordinary and incredible, beyond the reach of all others. This word is "beamonesque" and was coined in this way in honour of Bob Beamon.

On 18 October 1968, during the Olympic Games in Mexico, the American athlete Bob Beamon managed to break the world record for the long jump by setting a mark of 8.90 metres. Until then, the world record had stood at 8.35 metres, so Beamon's jump was considered totally unbelievable and out of place. It was something incomprehensible that no one present could believe.

Curiously, at those Olympic Games, optical measuring devices were introduced for the first time, but as nobody thought that anyone could achieve such a mark in the long jump, they were not calibrated for that distance. In this circumstance, the judges had to use a tape measure to accredit the distance of the jump.

There are many speculations as to why an athlete who was participating for the first time in a high-level competition and who had accredited marks far short of that distance could achieve such a feat. It seems that the high altitude of Mexico City, the fact that the tailwind at the time of the jump was the maximum allowed and a perfect execution of the jump could explain such a feat.

Bob Beamon's record was broken in 1991 by another American jumper named Mike Powell, but to this day it is still an Olympic record.

References:
https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/b/beamon.htm
https://www.marca.com/deporte/polideportivo/50-aniversario-olimpiadas-mexico-1968/bob-beamon.html
https://elsuperhincha.com/bob-beamon-record-olimpico-mas-duradero/

Source Image:
https://www.elcorreo.com/deportes/mas-deportes/beamon-hizo-eterno-20181018175141-nt.html

This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

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