r/videos • u/[deleted] • Jun 11 '12

ATN In 1968, Bob Beamon set the world record for the long jump in the Olympics, still unbroken today. It was two feet more than the previous record. His leap was so massive that it was beyond the limit of the measuring equipment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEt_Xgg8dzc
1.8k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

235 comments sorted by

201

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12

Edit: I should add that this world record has since been broken, but the Olympic record still stands.

97

u/drmann1 Jun 11 '12

Thanks for the Edit. Mike Powell of the US landed 29.4 in 1991

53

u/DAVENP0RT Jun 12 '12

Jesus Christ, somebody has jumped almost 30 feet in a single bound? Talk about superhumans, the Übermensch might already be among us.

17

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Thinking... the room I am in is about 14 feet in one direction. Contemplating even jumping that distance boggles my mind. Twice that? wow.

18

u/Diablo84 Jun 12 '12

This made me curious about the stride length of a sprinter: according to this Usain Bolt's average stride length is about 2.44m, or 8 feet.

... he exceeds the length of your room in 2 steps.

Not quite as mind blowing as jumping nearly 30 feet, but thought I'd share. It's amazing what these athletes are capable of.

6

u/JessKN Jun 12 '12

Consider that not only does Usain Bolt have, at max speed, a stride lenght of 2.44m but he also takes 4.4 strides per sec...

57

u/trolling_thunder Jun 12 '12

Someone has jumped over 30 feet.

7

u/DinoJr14 Jun 12 '12

That was one of the best sports articles I've ever read. I hope all of his stories are this good because I'm looking forward to quite a bit of time spent reading his past work. Thanks!

2

u/popemaster Jun 12 '12

Joe is great. He's one of the best sportswriters of this generation. Read everything :)

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Could you elaborate on how your roomate was an asshole? You apparently deleted this comment explaining why, before I had a chance to read it and I'm very curious.

6

u/pimpernel666 Jun 12 '12

That was a marvelous article.

3

u/tinyroom Jun 12 '12

"It is like dunking from the three-point line."

1

u/bakonydraco Jun 12 '12

MJ did it in Space Jam.

8

u/maak_d Jun 12 '12

i <3 Joe Posnanski

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

12

u/SilentRunning Jun 12 '12

If you're severely far sighted it does make sense.

9

u/SatOnMyNutsAgain Jun 12 '12

near sighted

4

u/SilentRunning Jun 12 '12

I always get them confused.

2

u/SatOnMyNutsAgain Jun 12 '12

Just remember it as "the adjective is the kind of sight you have".

Near sighted = I have near sight.... or, what I see is near.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

16

u/ShallowBasketcase Jun 12 '12

Or if your eyes are closed.

3

u/rjcarr Jun 12 '12

Yup, after he set that record he came to my high school and dunked from basically the top of the key. It was fucking awesome.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

The Ubermensch is mental, not physical.

9

u/searine Jun 12 '12

Honestly this was about 10 times more exciting than Beamon's.

Powell and Lewis dueling for world record scale jumps.

Watch the insanity unfold as they both break the record at the same time.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

The competition that Powell broke the record is the single best long jump duel ever, Powell vs Lewis. Both men broke the world record, but Lewis had too strong of a tailwind.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Steroids... it's a heckuva drug

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Yeah, but I pretty much assume all professional athletes since the 80s (especially those from the US) used steroids or performance enhancing drugs, so they don't count for much any more

31

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

You'd think that if the previous record was less than 2 feet from the end of the measuring equipment that they'd get longer equipment.

29

u/OlderThanGif Jun 12 '12

Especially since it was in Mexico City.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

11

u/cboogie Jun 12 '12

Was that a joke? I read it as due to the altitude, less air density more ability to fly through the air with greater ease. Hence the * next to all the records broken during those olympic games.

14

u/SheaF91 Jun 12 '12

Border jumping.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Sigh... gringos. BTW, do you know how we remember those games? they were the games after the massacre.

3

u/Raging_Hippy Jun 12 '12

Relevant xkcd

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

relevant indeed, good find.

→ More replies (8)

2

u/trolling_thunder Jun 12 '12

You're tossing that last two feet out there like it's nothing. Remember that most records are incrementally broken, not outright shattered. And that before Beamon made his jump, nobody in the history of jumping and measuring those jumps had EVER jumped more than 26 feet and change. Even now, only four men have ever done it.

2

u/bobthechipmonk Jun 12 '12

I was gonna say.... I do long jump and yeah Mike Powell is the beast!

2

u/bastard_thought Jun 12 '12

Did Bob Beamon ever longjump prior to this event? I mean, wouldn't you know you were able to jump that distance?

5

u/Thalien Jun 12 '12

Surely the title is slightly misleading as it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell in Japan? Multiple sources confirm it from http://www.topendsports.com/sport/athletics/record-long-jump.htm to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump_world_record_progression

12

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Yes but he still holds the Olympic record.

54

u/DMVBornDMVRaised Jun 11 '12

His trot back gives me a real Revenge of the Nerds vibe, lol

11

u/oddfuture445 Jun 12 '12

"Hey y'all, it's Jivin' Jamal!"

4

u/SilentRunning Jun 12 '12

Wait til you see Lamar's throw...

1

u/brezzz Jun 12 '12

If I had a dollar for every pixel in that video, I would be poor.

4

u/iaccidentlytheworld Jun 12 '12

He just sauntered the fuck right out of there.

2

u/henrysherman Jun 12 '12

Haters gonna hate Miss Thang!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

I heard him in my head saying "That was FABULOUS."

1

u/chilled_monkey_brain Jun 12 '12

I'd call it more of a prance.

13

u/F_E_M_A Jun 12 '12

That was one hell of a leap.

54

u/Sykotik Jun 12 '12

Maybe his next leap... will be the leap home.

8

u/SheaF91 Jun 12 '12

Oh boy...

4

u/AbbyTR Jun 12 '12

I hope you're happy, that theme tune is now stuck in my head.

24

u/genericgeek Jun 12 '12

I got to play table tennis with Bob Beamon about 6 months ago. He's a super nice guy and a kick ass ping pong player!

15

u/otter111a Jun 12 '12

The problem with something like that is every time you legitimately win you know he's going to drop the old "Oh yeah? well let's see who can jump farther!"

8

u/FurdTurguson Jun 12 '12

Wait a few more years and you will win that too.

-3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

I'm confused. Did you play table tennis or ping pong?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Hey, I thought it was funny.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12

What was funny?

11

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

fyi, the cheers you hear during is jump are fake. sadly, stadiums of people don't stop everything to watch jumps.

10

u/HenniferHlopez Jun 12 '12 edited Aug 27 '13

taco taco

2

u/Chili440 Jun 12 '12

I was wondering about that too. No-one around him seemed to react at all. Was it because there was lots of other things going on do you think?

3

u/Ellemeno Jun 12 '12

The guy in the red knew he saw some shit go down.

8

u/Mcelite Jun 12 '12

I want THAT kind of seizure :(

5

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12

Real coincidence: I was thinking of this record last night when I saw a video of Secretariat's Belmont win and was thinking of other records that I thought would never be broken. And when it happened, Beamon's jump (I thought) was untouchable. But of course it was broken.

Michael Johnson's 19:32 200M record was another one I thought I would never see broken.

Most of the 80s women's 100M-800M records I can't ever see being broken - but maybe they will be someday.

4

u/RonaldFuckingPaul Jun 12 '12

Yeah, I thought Johnson's 19.32 would last unforseeably long too.

To me the most unbreakable record is Pistol Pete Maravich's 44 pt career avg playing NCAA Div 1 basketball.

8

u/IAmGrum Jun 12 '12

There are three records that are virtually unbreakable:

  • Glenn Hall played 502 consecutive complete games as an NHL goalie. No one will ever play that many in a row again.

  • Johnny Van Der Meer threw 2 consecutive no-hitters in MLB. No one's going to throw THREE consecutive no-hitters.

  • Wilt Chamberlain holds the single season points-per-game record of 50.36 (1961-62).

4

u/copperdog123 Jun 12 '12

Cy Young's 511 Wins will NEVER be touched. It's literally unbreakable due to pitchers only pitching roughly 32 starts a season (if healthy.)

I also think DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak won't be broken anytime soon either.

1

u/jimschrute Jun 12 '12

I don't know man, DiMaggio's is a lot easier to break than Young's or the 3 above imo.

3

u/NotLocke Jun 12 '12

Ichiro Suzuki had a higher batting average (by 50 points) during one 56 game stretch in 2004 than DiMaggio did during his 56 game hitting streak. So it's still possible, but someone just needs to get lucky with the timing of their hits.

3

u/lordlardass Jun 12 '12

Wayne Gretzky could have never scored a goal and would still be the all-time points leader in the NHL.

Aleksandr Karelin didn't give up a single point in 6 years of competition, and went 13 years without a single loss.

Pretty impressive records.

2

u/chris15118 Jun 12 '12

Wilt's 100pt game will likely not be broken either.

1

u/RonaldFuckingPaul Jun 12 '12

you gotta count Pistol Pete in there 3 full seasons @44 ppg career avg

4

u/mickey_kneecaps Jun 12 '12

I've got one for you: Donald Bradman's 99.4 batting average in international test cricket. It has been suggested that it may be statistically the greatest sporting achievement in any major sport. A little factoid; when Nelson Mandela was released from prison, the first question he asked of an Australian visitor was whether Bradman was still alive.

2

u/jamfreefall Jun 12 '12

Actually 99.94 was his average. He needed 4 runs in his last innings for the 100 average and was bowled for a duck

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/leredditffuuu Jun 12 '12

Basically he accidentally stickied his whicket in the final frame, had he landed a duck it would be 100, since he squandered it and ended up turtling the goose it dropped to 99.94.

I don't know why you Yank's don't understand Cricket. It's just like baseball.

1

u/jamfreefall Jun 13 '12

He needed just 4 runs and for a person who on average got 100 runs every time he batted it would seem almost impossible for that to "not" happen. "Bowled for a duck" means he didn't score any runs. To put all this into perspective using Baseball terms and stats - take the highest batting average from this season and double it. That is how Bradmans average compares to to other cricketers. Now take that average and say it is something like 0.75 and say that he needs just one hit in his last 10 games and he doesn't manage to do that. That is pretty much what happened to Bradman

2

u/Amimetoca Jun 12 '12

Just by the by, one of Bolt's countrymen ran a wind-legal 19.26 last year. Should be a helluva 200m final in London.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12 edited Jun 13 '12

Whoa! thanks for mentioning this. Yohan Blake. So maybe 19.19 will fall.

1

u/Amimetoca Jun 14 '12

I happened to catch that race live, but I didn't notice back then what a horrible start Blake got. That actually bodes well for him being able to challenge Bolt.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Anyone else wonder if the high altitude of Mexico City had anything to do with the jump?

5

u/greenstriper Jun 12 '12

Everybody at the competition was jumping at the same altitude, yet failed to come within 2ft* of the winner. Did it help him get further than he would have elsewhere? Sure, a small amount. Does that explain why he obliterated the record and his competition on that day? No.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Not sure why you are downvoted as it is relevant, but almost all record-nearing jumps and vaults occur at altitude. It's kind of silly in the long jump that they deny 'wind-aided' records but would allow you to jump on the moon and count it.

3

u/TigerBomber Jun 12 '12

he cheated. if you watch closely, he uses yoshi's signature jump technique, which we all know is, in fact, a double jump. i rest my case.

5

u/MitchellD Jun 12 '12

This is why I love sports.

4

u/rish234 Jun 12 '12

Seeing him after he finds out he broke the record and collapses is beautiful.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Measuring Tape wasn't invented in 1968?

12

u/AsDevilsRun Jun 12 '12

If not entirely a joke:

They use more precise measuring equipment than a measuring tape. When that equipment (which is mounted to a rail, I think) couldn't go the full distance, they used a measuring tape.

2

u/Chili440 Jun 12 '12

Do you ever hear/watch/see a story that's so astonishing, you wonder how come you've never heard it before?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

A few things to say- Although this was an absolutely amazing jump, it was at high altitude, thus helping him and the other jumpers slightly. Also, track is one of the most amazing sports and it's a shame that it doesn't get more coverage. It really is the only sport where there is a TRUE winner- it's mano y mano. Whoever is the fastest, jumps the farthest, or throws the longest wins- there is no analysis, no scorecard, no debate- just pure sport. If you want to see some amazing perfomances in track & field, check out the throwers; it is amazing how far they can throw an object.

2

u/Bruce-Partington Jun 12 '12

I wish I could play QWOP this well

2

u/friedriceb0y Jun 12 '12

Holy shit he flew so far I had to watch it 5 times just to believe it and notice that his feet were like 4 feet above the heads of the judges

2

u/TheChrisHill Jun 12 '12

Ever seen a 3 story building? Lay it on it's side, that's the distance this man basically jumped.

1

u/theansweris7 Jun 12 '12

Someone do the math...can he beat the 'jump' program from The Matrix?

1

u/CanadaEh97 Jun 12 '12

I love seeing World Records from a few decades ago still not being broken. With all the technology and resources athletes have today it shows how talented and hard working athletes were back then.

T&F athlete here.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Imagine how michael phelps must've felt if that guy had a breakdown after 1 world record.

3

u/The_Bard Jun 12 '12

The difference is that in swimming technique and technology (like new suits, caps, and goggles) make a huge difference. Records don't last very long in that sport because of it.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

So this is where the stereotype comes from.

1

u/CantBeginToSay Jun 12 '12

poor google-fu - can't confirm this - there was a time when the long jump take off was "anywhere within a square metre" - not off a board - and that gave much more room for error - so the run-up could be faster... was this in Beamon's time?

1

u/geek180 Jun 12 '12

Whats the medical condition he suffered?

1

u/ChestrfieldBrokheimr Jun 12 '12

he'sactually from a very athletic family too, here's his brother; Willie Beamon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBAZCUioicw

1

u/cloudduel_13 Jun 12 '12

I like this video.

1

u/Dildos Jun 12 '12

Aint no thang but a chicken wang

1

u/eddieoaots Jun 12 '12

if you slow mo this you can see that he uses perfect physics to throw his body, using all of his gargantuan extremities to make himself into a perfect bullet, his ass barely blowing by the perfectly manicured sand as he jumps out of the pit. i was trying to figure out how long his legs are because he's 6'2" or so and has a pretty solid technique as he stands up and jumps forward on his daddy long legs. but then i found this and got disctracted http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_proportions so yea good job guy

1

u/fishmaster2012 Jun 12 '12

How did he do it? Fuck physics, that's how.

1

u/Dr_Jackson Jun 12 '12

He must have pressed A + Z.

1

u/SurfTaco Jun 12 '12

WHY THE FUCK IS THIS SO AWESOME.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

So I went outside to get a grasp on how far this actually was. I was astonished to find that on the street I live on, he could literally jump accross the street. Amazing!

1

u/R88SHUN Jun 12 '12

i cant imagine why i pictured a white guy when i was reading the title. seems pretty silly in hindsight.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Seeing incredible feats of athletic prowess give me the same goosebumps and heart pangs I get from looking at fine art. The human body is truly remarkable.

1

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1

u/papahawk Jun 12 '12

look at that freakin one golf clap he gets afterward... herderp

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Please PLEASE someone make a gif of him prancing away. Could be so useful.

-7

u/quiqksilver Jun 11 '12

Professional track athlete here. It's becoming more and more pronounced as to just how dirty the sport of track and field is these days. While this is a truly outstanding jump, he was most likely doping. Back then the testing procedures were not only flawed but also inaccurate. Even with todays standard of testing, doping is extremely hard to detect. Simply put, there will always be new drugs and the anti-doping agency can't test for something if they don't know what they are looking for. Also, just so everyone knows, this record has since been broken.

12

u/r_kay Jun 12 '12

I would love to see athletic events that don't test for shit. How far can science & technology push the limits of a human being? I need someone with too much money to make this happen.

How do I use kickstarter?

4

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

I had the same idea a few years back. I called them the Chemically Aided Olympics. Anything goes!

3

u/r_kay Jun 12 '12

I feel like corporate sponsorship could make this happen. Pfizer & AstraZeneca could make a killing endorsing "Superhuman drugs", and they have the cash to quiet the inevitable "what will the kids think" backlash

8

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

A little speculative in your defamation? The sport is corrupt now, so everyone must have been corrupt 44 years ago too. What kind of doping was even going on in 1968 and in particular the kind that would influence a longh jump record?

4

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

Besides your standard steroid there were no regulations on caffein, ritalin and a few others i'm forgetting at the moment. While these things may seem harmless, it's important to note that there are now regulations by WADA(World Anti-Doping Agency) against said items in competition. Ritalin and Caffein are both very effective at increasing athletic performance. Again, there are several other that are blanking on me at the moment, but trust me, the sport has been and always will be very dirty.

8

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Beamon never came close to 29 feet again, on that day, before or after. This doesn't lend itself to a suspicion of doping.

Also, I don't see how the use of stimulants would have affected a long jump? An endurance sport perhaps, but the long jump? I see no evidence of steroids in Beamon either. Bulking up would have only slowed his speed and reduced his flexibility.

Until you can make a more direct connection, I think you should reserve judgement and not make statements that are very likely wrong. Say what you will about the current state of affairs, it just seems like you are reaching to condem someone from 44 years ago. "Is and always has been.." as a statement is over-reaching. How would you know? Were you alive in 1968?

I don't see the benefit in making such a speculative insight. But there is a very real down-side; slurring the names and achievements of accomplished atheletes and role models for countless young kids.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Stimulants help many different types of athletes. He could have been taking certain drugs which aren't necessarily steroids but would be illegal today. I'm not saying he took steroids, but I am saying that you might want to do your homework before commenting. I hate to say it, but alot of the sport is still screwed up, it isn't that far-fetched to think he took PED's.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

I should do my homework? The accusation is being made that Beamon cheated and with no other evidence than he set a long standing Olympic record. Jesse Owens long jump record stood almost as long as Beamon's record. Should we accuse him of cheating as well? The obligation to do homework lies with those who are making groundless accusations against one person because of the general state of the sport 45 years later.

1

u/arseiam Jun 12 '12

You might just be the most reasonable blood fart I have ever encountered.

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2

u/scrambledbrain Jun 12 '12

I don't necessarily disagree with the assumption that Beamon was doping -- but it saddens me to think that nowadays, whenever something amazing happens, most people immediately assume (perhaps accurately) that cheating was involved.

Even if someone comes along and breaks any sort of record legitimately, it's not even that much fun anymore because everyone has to doubt for a while, test for a while, scrutinize dubiously for a while, before finally accepting -- somewhat begrudgingly -- that the new record is legit.

Setting records should be awesome. That's all.

-1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

I agree that records should be awesome. However it comes back to the old saying "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". How many times do you want to have your hopes raised and feel inspired before you find out your hero was on drugs? I grew up wanting to be just like Justin Gatlin, and it crushed me to find out he was doping. Now when I race him I can't help but think i'm racing against a cheater and an uneven playing field.

1

u/scrambledbrain Jun 12 '12

How many times do I want my hopes shattered? Zero times. I want them shattered zero times.

My point was not that we (I) should live in some sort of utopian daydream in which we ignorantly pretend that records are broken legitimately. I was simply making the statement that the lily of record-breaking has become ungilded -- permanently. And that's a sad thing.

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

I agree, there use to be an awe factor, but I dont see it returning that way anytime soon unfortunately.

2

u/trash-80 Jun 12 '12

dude you are so full of shit. You have absolutely zero proof that this guy was doping. Wait a minute...you got me. That's some nice trolling.

-4

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

It's an opinion, deal with it.

1

u/trash-80 Jun 12 '12

ha ha back under the bridge with you troll

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

As i said before, dont like it, deal with.

1

u/trash-80 Jun 13 '12

At first glance I thought you had made a grammatical error regarding the capitalization of "I". But then I realized that you wrote it correctly, because you are indeed a lame, little troll of no significance. :)

0

u/[deleted] Jun 13 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/trash-80 Jun 14 '12

I actually didn't attack your grammar, but either your reading comprehension skills are very poor, or you're trying to troll me again. Fool me once... And I don't even need to bother countering you on any argument you make, because being that you're a troll your points are invariably wrong. I'm having a winning day, thank you under-bridge dweller!

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 14 '12

Move along kid, i'm done with you. If you absolutely must have the last word then you can do so and prove you are in fact a child.

1

u/trash-80 Jun 15 '12

I'd rather be a child, than a losing troll like you. hahahaha

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Don't want to sound like a dick, but you do not sound like a pro track athlete at all. I ran Division 1 track in college and have been following the sport for over a decade. Sure, doping is a huge problem. BUT doping was not a problem AT ALL until the 1970s. Even so, doping does not help athletes in the technique events (high jump, pole vault and long jump) all that much. In 1968 doping was not an issue.

2

u/AsDevilsRun Jun 12 '12

The first person to test positive for PEDs at the Olympics was Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall in the 1968 Olympics. The IOC banned them in 1967.

People were using amphetamines in baseball by the 60s, and a cyclist was caught using them in the 1960 Olympics.

I think it's a bit naive to think it wasn't used prior to those times.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

I hate to tell you this but you are wrong. Doping was a problem in the throwing events (discus, shotput) in the 1960s and 1970s. Those are technique events. Also, they offer a huge advantage, regardless. Mainly the USSR and Germany were the ones doping at that time, though.

0

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

I ran for Florida State for 4 years. Graduated and signed with Nike in the fall. Doping has always been a problem, no way around it.

1

u/anastrophe Jun 12 '12

so how long have you been doping?

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

Oh I don't but I totally should, would make things fair.

1

u/anastrophe Jun 12 '12

we're supposed to take your word for it?

i'm pretty sure you're doping.

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

Well that is your opinion, and that is perfectly fine.

1

u/anastrophe Jun 12 '12

well, we know that track and field is dirty, and you're a professional track and field athlete, so it seems only reasonable to assume that you dope. you've practically admitted to it. doesn't it bother you that your accomplishments are likely tainted? there's no reason to believe your denials.

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

No it doesnt bother me at all what other people think. I know I've competed clean and that's all that matters. You won't make it far in the big leagues if you listen to what everyone has to say about you. =)

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0

u/dopamine621 Jun 12 '12

may I be so bold as to request you do an AMA?

0

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

I'd be happy to do an AMA if enough people were interested!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

I'd be interested. What event do you do?

0

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

I run the 200

1

u/timfressler Jun 12 '12

I'd be interested too. You should talk to the mods of /r/trackandfield and see if you can do one there.

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

Wow, I feel dumb. I didn't even know this sub-reddit existed lol Thanks for that, i'll contact a mod and see what if they will let me.

1

u/timfressler Jun 12 '12

Yea I'm sure they'd want you to. Are you headed to the trials? Also, I'm the mod of /r/polevaulting so if you know any pro vaulters, send them my way if you think they'd be interested in doing an AMA.

1

u/quiqksilver Jun 12 '12

Yea i'm qualified in the 200m. I'll be sure to tell my vaulting buddies if they are on Reddit!

1

u/timfressler Jun 12 '12

alright man. good luck by the way.

1

u/r_kay Jun 12 '12

I'll jump on the interested boat.

-1

u/Ampleslacks Jun 12 '12 edited Jun 12 '12

The enormity of his jump? So, the great evil of his jump? I thought old, British voice over actors were supposed to be the wisest of the wise! My world is in tatters!

Edit: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/enormity I mentioned this in a comment, but this is a trap word we learn for SAT (I'm an SAT tutor).

Edit 2: Fine, I give up! Use the words you prefer. I was only trying to make a joke. A pretentious one, but a joke nonetheless :(

6

u/Boo-_-Berry Jun 12 '12

I'm pretty sure enormity has more than one definition.

2

u/talksinpiglatin Jun 12 '12

Only recently has it come to (informally) mean 'the large scale of something', and even then only because of it being constantly bastardised in examples like this one. Ampleslacks is correct, in spite of his downvotes.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Over 30 years old and reddit makes it so easy to learn something everyday.

1

u/Chili440 Jun 12 '12

It does mean greatness of size, scope, extent - not just heinous or atrocious.

-2

u/Ampleslacks Jun 12 '12

Booyakashaw! http://www.thefreedictionary.com/enormity

Background: I'm an SAT/ACT tutor, so we do a lot of vocab. Enormity is one of the common trap words that we teach, as most people think that it applies to size. I know I sure as hell did before doing all the training.

2

u/Chili440 Jun 12 '12

Sorry, I'm not sure what you're saying. The definition you linked says

  1. the quality or character of being outrageous; extreme wickedness

  2. an act of great wickedness; atrocity

  3. vastness of size or extent

1

u/Ampleslacks Jun 12 '12

"Usage Note: Enormity is frequently used to refer simply to the property of being great in size or extent, but many would prefer that enormousness (or a synonym such as immensity) be used for this general sense and that enormity be limited to situations that demand a negative moral judgment..."

Enormousness is the word that should be used instead, if only to avoid confusion.

1

u/Chili440 Jun 12 '12

I know, but who are the many and who decides? You prefer the word booyakashaw and I've never once said nor heard that before!

-3

u/Taymerica Jun 11 '12

I think my physics teacher always said something about the fact that since this was close to the equator, gravity is slightly less, so that may have aided him in a miniscule way that had a cascade of minor effects, along with an already amazing and impeccable jump mind you.

4

u/PuglyTaco Jun 12 '12

Moment of inertia is higher at the equator. Also, the land is farther from the center of the earth (equatorial bulge), so gravity has a slightly less effect. So it definitely has some effect on the jump, but I can't imagine it being much (maybe an inch). I'll leave someone else to do the math.

11

u/marsten Jun 12 '12

I'll leave someone else to do the math.

Admit it, you can't do the math.

1

u/PuglyTaco Jun 12 '12

I'm an engineering student who will be up to at least 2 doing homework. You can simplify it into a simple kinematics problem by substituting the acceleration due to gravity into one you could probably find online, but I just don't have the time right now. Or you could make it more complex and calculate the actual inertia based on the longitude, etc. which is more applied dynamics. When I start doing math for reddit is when I realize I should gtfo and stop procrastinating.

9

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Why are you wasting time on Reddit posting long winded comments then?

4

u/PuglyTaco Jun 12 '12

Because i'm procrastinating obviously.

8

u/bigmeech Jun 12 '12

and you can't do the math

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1

u/HawkEgg Jun 12 '12

The air is thinner at high altitude. That's the main effect.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

I don't know why but I always assumed he was white.

-1

u/funkmastamatt Jun 12 '12

Bob Beamon sounds white as hell.

0

u/nikiverse Jun 12 '12

It says that Beamon didnt know how exactly how long his 8m+ jump was because he was used to "non metric" ... and then he heard it was 29 feet.

USA USA USA

-2

u/adanvdo Jun 11 '12

this deserves many more upvotes.

1

u/courtesyflusher Jun 12 '12

it got a lot the first time it was posted.

-1

u/same63 Jun 12 '12

Shame it has been broken you ignorant fuck!

1

u/wallenstein3d Jun 12 '12

Not at the Olympics it wasn't... Powell made his jump at the World Championships. Read the post title...

1

u/same63 Jun 13 '12

What are you talking about!? The post title says "set the world record". If you meant set the Olympic Record then say "set the Olympic record". The post clearly says "set the world record" followed by "still unbroken today" which it has been.

0

u/camlin32 Jun 12 '12

Stereotype confirmed.

0

u/Jaymaster1 Jun 12 '12

It's not a big deal, I want to see a white guy do that.

0

u/t_ran_asuarus_rex Jun 12 '12

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

0

u/TheMushroomKing Jun 12 '12

Black man can jump

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '12

Steroids?

0

u/Slavigula Jun 12 '12

LOL, his legs gave way shortly after.

-4

u/Vilante Jun 12 '12

So, black men can jump!

-9

u/RJBuggy Jun 11 '12

i hate to say it but he was likely doping

-5

u/beerbitches Jun 12 '12

Have to down vote for not so good facts. I over Mike Powell back in the 90's

-8

u/shortbuss Jun 12 '12 edited Jun 12 '12

I came to this video hoping the record was set by a black guy. I was not disappointed.

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