This is American long jumper Bob Beamon, on the track,
about to attempt his first jump in the final of
the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Beamon was a gifted athlete, who discovered his talent while
at reform school in New York City.
Out!
For this young man, it had been a long journey
from the mean streets of Queens
all the way to the Olympic Games.
He had jumped 7 metres 34 centimetres
when he was just 15 years old.
Now 22, he had a personal best
of 8 metres 33 centimetres,
the second longest jump of all time.
Unfortunately for Beamon,
the joint world record holders were both competing in Mexico.
Beamon's teammate and mentor,
1960 gold medallist Ralph Boston,
and the Soviet star Igor Ter-Ovanesyan.
The '60s had seen a long jump duel
between these two great athletes,
setting eight world records between them,
adding 19 centimetres
to the record over eight years.
So Beamon knew even his personal best
might not be enough.
The Olympic champion Lynn Davies
was also in Mexico to defend his title.
He was curious to see
how the new kid would perform in an Olympic final.
Beamon hadn't been jumping particularly well.
After two foul jumps in the qualifying round,
he needed the guidance of Boston
to help him to qualify for the final,
achieved with a jump of 8.19 metres.
Good, but not good enough
to set off alarm bells among his competitors.
Nervous the night before the final,
Beamon's preparations were a bit out of the ordinary.
You know that thing
you're not supposed to do before the big day?
He did it.
Well, whatever works for you, Bob -
because as he stood on the track
facing his first jump of the finals,
his mind was clear and his body relaxed.
He knew it was good. Maybe very good.
The first sign something really unusual had happened
was when the official judge
could not record the distance
using his new hi-tech recording device.
The jump was literally off the scale.
Yeah, you know, I can really relate to that.
You? You can relate to Bob Beamon?
Oh, not Beamon. No, that judge guy with the funny hat.
He has no idea what he's doing.
The competition was suspended
as they got the tape measure out.
They had to check and re-check.
It took a whole 20 minutes
for them to simply measure Beamon's jump.
"That can't be right. Check it again."
And then the distance was announced.
8.90 metres - over 29 feet.
Beamon had shattered the world record by 55 centimetres.
He'd beaten his own personal best by 57 centimetres.
This was how Beamon reacted.
Imagine how his rivals felt.
The contest for the gold medal was over.
The German, Klaus Beer, leapt 8.19 for silver,
Boston was just behind in bronze.
The Beamon jump.
It became maybe the most talked about record of all time.
It would have won the 2012 long jump event by 59 centimetres.
A sport that had moved 19 centimetres in eight years
had leapt over the horizon in a single jump.
It's the altitude, you know. That thin air.
That is why he jumped so far.
No - if it's the altitude,
why didn't everyone jump 8.90 metres? Mmm?
Hm. You may have a point there, Jan.