Bob Beamon
American long jumper who set a historic Olympic world record.
Last updated
At the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City's Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Beamon's first jump in the final bettered the existing world record by 55 cm.[1][2]
Key facts and history
Larry Ellis, a renowned track coach, discovered Beamon while he was attending Jamaica High School.[3] Beamon and eleven other Black athletes were dropped from the UTEP track team for participating in a boycott of competition with Brigham Young University.[4] After hearing the distance, Beamon suffered a cataplectic seizure and collapsed to his knees.[1][2] His world record stood for 23 years until Mike Powell broke it in 1991.[5][6]
To be near his sick grandmother, Beamon started his college studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; after she passed away, he moved to the University of Texas at El Paso on a track scholarship.[3][6] In the 1969 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns selected Beamon in the 15th round, but he never appeared in an NBA contest.[7]
What the cited sources add
The Guardian account states that Beamon's childhood was so bleak that his autobiography rivals Oliver Twist's.[2] Soviet jumper Igor Ter-Ovanesyan said of Beamon's jump, "Compared to this jump, we are as children".[6] The ESPN article notes that Beamon's prep coach convinced him to stick with track rather than basketball.[6] Beamon told the Guardian that before the final he was "all nerves" and had trouble sleeping.[2]
After the Olympics, Beamon never again came close to matching his record jump.[6][2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Bob Beamon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "CCTV International", Cctv.com, October 15, 2008; Redgrave, Steve, "Great Olympic Moments", Headline, October 13, 2011, p. 16–; "Bob Beamon"; IOC Athlete Profile: "His achievement inspired a new word in the English language: 'Beamonesque', meaning an athletic feat so dramatically superior to previous (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Bagchi, Rob, "50 stunning Olympic moments No2: Bob Beamon's great leap forward", The Guardian, November 23, 2011. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Bob Beamon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schwartz, "Beamon made sport's greatest leap", ESPN.com; Williams, Lena. "TRACK AND FIELD; Soothing an Old Ache", The New York Times, January 1, 2000. Accessed November 7, 2007. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bob Beamon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lena Williams, "Track and Field; Soothing an Old Ache", The New York Times, January 1, 2000.; Jack Olsen, The black athlete: a shameful story, pp 65-76. Time-Life Books, 1968. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bob Beamon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lorge, "Mennea Nips Wells In Olympic Drama", The Washington Post, July 29, 1980; "Michael Anthony Powell", International Olympic Committee (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Schwartz, "Beamon made sport's greatest leap", ESPN.com. facts only, no text reused. espn.com
- Wikipedia, "Bob Beamon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "NBA.com: Draft Oddities", www.NBA.com; "The HistoryMakers", The HistoryMakers (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bob Beamon (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold Olympic Games — 1968 Mexico City Long jump
- Silver Pan American Games — 1967 Winnipeg Long jump
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Bob Beamon (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Also in the Codexery
More in Olympic Track & Field
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bob Beamon (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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