Triple Jump: the sport
The triple jump is a field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, step and jump” routine, whereby the athlete runs down the track and performs a hop, a step and then a jump into the sand pit.
The Olympic triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Greece Olympics: records show athletes jumping distances of about 15m even then. In another part of the ancient world, and as early as 1829 B.C. the geal-ruith (triple jump), was an event contested in the ancient Irish Tailteann Games.
In modern times, the triple jump has been an Olympics event since the Games’ inception in 1896, although back then it consisted of two hops on the same foot and then a jump. Early Olympics also included the standing triple jump, though this has since been removed from the program. The women’s triple jump was introduced at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
The current male and female world record holders are Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain, with a jump of 18.29 metres, and Inessa Kravets of the Ukraine, with a jump of 15.50 metres.
