long jump

Long jump was practiced as a sport at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. It was probably a standing jump that took place from a kind of threshold into a loosened area.

The long jump is a discipline in athletics. It is held as an individual discipline as well as a multi-combat discipline (heptathlon, decathlon). The aim is to achieve the greatest possible distance into a sand-filled jumping pit with a single jump.

The jump takes place after a run-up from a 20 cm wide take-off board embedded in the ground, which may not be crossed. The impression closest to the take-off line that the jumper left in the sand is measured. Six tries are allowed to improve his jump distance.

In Asia, the long jump was performed using the heeling technique. The knees were closed, the heels on the buttocks and the thighs of the heeled legs were perpendicular to the jumping pit.

Since the first modern Summer Olympics in Athens in 1896, long jump has been part of the Olympic competitions for men and since London 1948 also for women. In 1886 the take-off board was introduced.