The long jump, an event that has stayed mostly untouched since its debut in the first modern Olympics in 1896, is about to undergo a revolutionary transformation, which has the track and field world both excited and skeptical. It was after the stats from the 2023 World Championships in Budapest showed that a third of long jumps resulted in fouls, which forced the committee to contemplate the possibility of the most drastic change in 128 years.

While the practicality of the proposal is yet to be tested, the online announcement has split the internet, leaving the grim question: Will this revolution raise or lower the bar for skill levels in the sport?

Change of an era in Track and Field

The planned modification is nothing short of revolutionary, as revealed in an update on X by @AthleticsWeekly. The post read, “Speaking on @AnythingbutF (Anything but Footy podcast), World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon stated: “We’ll 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.”

With the long jump adaptation, jumps would no longer be measured from a standard starting position but rather from the athlete’s unique takeoff point. Although this would enable longer distances to be covered, it might also come under fire for appearing to lower the necessary skill level. There might be less emphasis on honing the run-up, which is an essential part of the competition and could lead to claims that the sport neglects talent in favor of distance.

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Ridgeon also confirmed, “We’ll spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes. If it doesn’t pass testing, we’ll never introduce it.” Additionally, the CEO presented ideas for an annual international athletics competition that would bring stability to the sport’s framework in years without an Olympic Games or World Championship. With the 2024 Paris Olympics approaching, could the track and field world be preparing for a possibly groundbreaking chapter in its illustrious history? In the meantime, the internet is pooling its mixed opinions on the proposal.

Internet reacts to the biggest long-jump revolution

People join in to provide credence to announcements every time they are made; this one was no exception. Someone straightforwardly said, “100% No!! Takes away the skill component and being able to perform under pressure.” Another one questioned, “Is this because Mike Powell and Jonathan Edwards have held their World Records for over 30 years?” “The jeopardy and drama is the athlete fouling or not. This rule takes that away,” one upset fan commented.

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A suggestion read, “If you want to invest find a beam that detects fail jumps on the (same) board that every1 should use and save the official the stress. Plasticine worked just fine too btw.” While the lesser found positive ones read: “Brilliant! It’s a jumping contest; there are no style points in athletics,” another nicely explained, “I quite like this and would like to see something similar in high jumps where the highest point is measured.” With each their own, what is your take on this proposed technicality?

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