Carl Lewis calls proposed format change in long jump an April Fools’ joke
kraken ÑÑылка A proposed format change could shake-up the long jump at major track and field competitions, but will the idea take flight? That’s the big question for those involved in the sport right now, notably nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.
The new format, which has been put forward by World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon, could see athletes jump from a take-off zone, rather than a take-off board, essentially doing away with foul jumps.
It would mean that jumps are measured from where an athlete takes off to where they land in the pit.
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“If you take the long jump at the world championships in Budapest last summer, a third of all jumps were no-jumps,†Ridgeon said on an episode of the Anything But Footy podcast, which was released on Monday.
“Athletes stepping over the front of the take-off board – that doesn’t work, that’s a waste of time … [the proposed format] means every single jump counts, it adds to the jeopardy of the competition, the drama of the competition.â€
Ridgeon added that World Athletics will test the concept this year with “very good athletes,†explaining that “if it doesn’t pass testing, we’ll never introduce it.â€
