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On August 30, 1991, Mike Powell set a long jump mark that the competition has yet to come close to.
Carl Lewis was celebrated as the world long jump champion in Tokyo in 1991. He just landed after the third attempt at 8.91 meters in the sand. Although valid for the title fight, this huge set did not mean a world record. The tailwind was too strong for that. But Bob Beamon’s historic 8.90-meter mark of 1968 faltered.
First problem, then world record
Lewis looked like the world champion for sure. The fact that he was already celebrating with the fans especially bothered his compatriot Mike Powell: “You could have believed that the competition was decided and over. That bothers me “.
In the record jump
Mike Powell.
imago images
Powell pooled his energy and jumped in a completely surprising way on the fourth attempt at 8.95 meters, with only a very light tailwind. Now, after all, the record was broken, contrary to expectations, not by Lewis, but by Powell.
No one comes close
The one from Philadelphia still had to shake: Lewis jumped 8.87 meters on the fourth attempt. But the third-best distance ever (with a tailwind allowed) was enough for Lewis to win silver at the World Championship.
In the 29 years since the record, no long jumper has come close to the record. 8.74m is the best since Powell’s dream jump. So it could be a while before a long jumper can dream of a world record again.
