The gold standard in the men’s long jump is 28 feet (8.53 meters). Bob Beamon first achieved the distance on his way to 29 feet 2 ‘½ inches (8.90 meters) at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico. Since then, sixteen athletes have reached or surpassed 28 feet, unaided by wind, 114 times (104 times outdoors and 10 times indoors). Following is a review of the men who have jumped 28 feet or more:
Carl Lewis (United States) 34 Performances
Carl Lewis jumped 28 feet or more 29 times outdoors and five times indoors, for a total of 34, the most by any athlete. His career best, 29 feet 1’¼ inches (8.87 meters), came on August 30, 1991 in Tokyo, Japan. The third best performance of all-time outdoors, it earned Lewis the silver medal in the World Championships. His best indoor performance, 28 feet 10’¼ inches (8.79 meters), came on January 27, 1984 in New York, New York, and has since stood as the indoor world record and American records.
28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) (+0.80) Sacramento, California, 6/20/1981
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) East Rutherford, New Jersey, 1/16/1982
28 feet ‘¾ inch (8.55 meters) New York, New York, 2/26/1982
28 feet 3 inches (8.61 meters) (+0.50) Los Angeles, California, 5/16/1982
28 feet 9 inches (8.76 meters) (+1.00) Indianapolis, Indianapolis, 7/24/1982
28 feet 1’¾ inches (8.58 meters) (0.00) Zurich, Switzerland, 8/18/1982
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) New York, New York, 1/28/1983
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters), (+1.00) Los Angeles, California, 5/15/1983
28 feet 10’¼ inches (8.79 meters) (+1.90) Indianapolis, Indianapolis, 6/19/1983
28 feet ‘¾ inch (8.55 meters) (+1.20) Helsinki, Finland, 8/10/1983
28 feet 10’¼ inches (8.79 meters) New York, New York, 1/27/1984 (WR-Indoor)
28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters) (-0.40) Los Angeles, California, 5/13/1984
28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters) (+0.10) Los Angeles, California, 6/19/1984
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (-1.60) Los Angeles, California, 8/6/1984
28 feet 4’½ inches (8.65 meters) (+0.20) Brussels, Belgium, 8/24/1984
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+1.20) Houston, Texas, 5/4/1985
28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) (0.00) Brussels, Belgium, 8/30/1985
28 feet 5 inches (8.66 meters) (+0.80) Walnut, California, 4/26/1987
28 feet 4’½ inches (8.65 meters (+0.70) San Jose, California, 6/26/1987
28 feet 8’½ inches (8.75 meters) (+1.70) Indianapolis, Indianapolis, 8/16/1987
28 feet 5’½ inches (8.67 meters) (+0.40) Rome, Italy, 9/5/1987
28 feet 9 inches (8.76 meters) (+0.80) Indianapolis, Indianapolis, 7/18/1988
28 feet 7’½ inches (8.72 meters) (-0.20) Seoul, South Korea, 9/26/1988
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+0.30) Stockholm, Sweden, 7/3/1989
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (+0.80) New York, New York, 7/22/1989
28 feet 4’½ inches (8.64 meters) (+1.70) New York, New York, 6/15/1991
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters), (+0.80) Tokyo, Japan, 8/29/1991
29 feet 1’¼ inches (8.87 meters) (-0.20) Tokyo, Japan, 8/30/1991 (CB)
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters), (+1.90) New York, New York, 5/24/1992
28 feet 5’½ inches (8.67 meters) (-0.70) Barcelona, Spain, 6/6/1992
28 feet (8.53 meters) (-0.10) New Orleans, Louisiana, 6/24/1992
28 feet 5’¾ inches (8.68 meters) (+1.00) Barcelona, Spain, 8/5/1992
28 feet 5 inches (8.66 meters) (+1.40) (A) Sestriere, Italy, 7/31/1994
Ivan Pedroso (Cuba) 23 Performances
Ivan Pedroso reached 28 feet or more 21 times outdoors and two times indoors. His career best, 28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters), came in 1995. The sixteenth best long jump of all-time outdoors, it stands as the Cuban outdoor national record. His best indoor performance, 28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) came at the 1999 Indoor World Track and Field Championships in Maebashi, Japan. The third best performance of all-time indoors, it stands as both the Indoor Championship and Cuban indoor national records.
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+1.60) Seville, Spain, 7/17/1992
28 feet 5’¾ inches (8.68 meters) (+1.60) Lisbon, Portugal, 6/17/1995
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+2.00) Lausanne, Switzerland, 7/5/1995
28 feet ‘¾ inch (8.55 meters) (+1.50) Bad Cannstatt, Germany, 7/9/1995
28 feet 2’¼ inches (8.59 meters) (+0.90) Padua, Italy, 7/16/1995
28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters) (+1.90) Salamanca, Spain, 7/18/1995 (NR-Outdoor)
28 feet 1’¾ inches (8.58 meters) -0.80) Monaco, 7/25/1995
28 feet 6’½ inches (8.70 meters) (+1.60) Goteborg, Sweden, 8/12/1995
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) (+1.50) Zurich, Switzerland, 8/16/1995
28 feet 5 inches (8.66) (+0.30) Linz, Austria, 8/22/1995
28 feet 2’¼ inches (8.59 meters) (+1.60) Tokyo, Japan, 9/15/1995
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) Lievin, France, 2/16/1997
28 feet 3’¾ inches (8.63 meters) (+1.10) Padua, Italy, 6/8/1997
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) -0.10) Prague, Czech Republic, 6/10/1997
28 feet 2’¼ inches (8.59 meters) (+0.40) Stockholm, Sweden, 7/7/1997
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+0.20) Linz, Austria, 7/9/1997
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+1.00) Fukuoka, Japan, 9/13/1997
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (+0.70) Uniondale, New York, 7/20/1998
28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) Maebashi, Japan, 3/7/1999 (NR-Indoor)
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) (+1.80) Padua, Italy, 6/26/1999
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+1.10) Seville, Spain, 8/28/1999
28 feet 4’½ inches (8.65 meters (+1.50) Jena, Germany, 6/3/2000
28 feet ‘¾ inch (8.55 meters) (+0.40) Sydney, Australia, 9/28/2000
Mike Powell (United States) 12 Performances
Mike Powell reached 28 feet or more 12 times outdoors. His career best of 29 feet 4’½ inches (8.95 meters) came in the 1991 World Track and Field Championships, and stands as the current world and American records. On July 21, 1999, in Sestriere, Italy, Powell reached the altitude and wind aided distance of 29 feet 6 inches (8.99 meters), the longest performance under all conditions, but ineligible for world record consideration.
28 feet 5 inches (8.66 meters) (+0.90) Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, 6/29/1990
28 feet 3’¾ inches (8.63 meters) (+0.50) New York, New York, 6/15/1991
28 feet 3 inches (8.61 meters) (+0.20) Rhede, Germany, 7/7/1991
29 feet 4’½ inches (8.95 meters) (+0.30) Tokyo, Japan, 8/30/1991 (WR)
28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) (0.00) New Orleans, Louisiana, 6/24/1992
28 feet 4 ‘½ inches (8.64 meters) (-0.50) Barcelona, Spain, 8/6/1992
28 feet 1’½ inches (8.57 meters) (+0.50) Berlin, Germany, 8/21/1992
28 feet 1’½ inches (8.57 meters) (-0.20) Brussels, Belgium, 8/28/1992
28 feet 6’½ inches (8.70 meters) (+0.70) Salamanca, Spain, 7/27/1993
28 feet 2’¼ inches (8.59 meters) (+0.40) Stuttgart, Germany, 8/20/1993
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (+0.30) London, England, 9/10/1993
28 feet 1’¾ inches (8.58 meters) (+0.20) Brussels, Belgium, 8/19/1994
Larry Myricks (United States) 10 Performances
Larry Myricks reached 28 feet or more 10 times outdoors. His career best of 28 feet 8’¼ inches (8.74 meters) came on July 18, 1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is tied for the eighth best performance of all-time outdoors.
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+0.50) Rhede, Germany, 9/1/1982
28 feet 2’¼ inches (8.59 meters) (+1.30) Rhede, Germany, 9/5/1984
28 feet 3’¾ inches (8.63 meters) (+2.00) San Jose, California, 6/26/1987
28 feet 5 inches (8.66 meters) (+1.00) Tokyo, Japan, 9/23/1987
28 feet 8’¼ inches (8.74 meters) (+1.40) Indianapolis, Indianapolis, 7/18/1988 (CB)
28 feet 1’¾ inches (8.58 meters) (+1.10) (A) Sestriere, Italy, 8/11/1988
28 feet 3 inches (8.61 meters) (+1.20) Budapest, Hungary, 8/12/1988
28 feet ‘¾ inch (8.55 meters) (+1.20) Modesto, California, 5/7/1989
28 feet 6’½ inches (8.70 meters) (+0.80) Houston, Texas, 6/17/1989
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (-0.50) Monaco, 9/1/1989
Dwight Phillips (United States) 8 Performances
Dwight Phillips reached 28 feet or more eight times outdoors. His career best of 28 feet 8’¼ inches came on July 18, 1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is tied for the eighth best performance of all-time outdoors.
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) (+0.50) Linz, Austria, 8/2/2004
28 feet 2’¼ inches (8.59 meters) (+1.00) Athens, Greece, 8/26/2004
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) (+1.60) Helsinki, Finland, 8/13/2005
28 feet 1’½ inches (8.57 meters) (+0.50) Linz, Austria, 8/23/2005
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (+0.90) Hengelo, Netherlands, 6/1/2009
28 feet 8’¼ inches (8.74 meters) (-1.20) Eugene, Oregon, 6/7/2009 (CB)
28 feet 3 inches (8.61 meters) (+0.00) Rome, Italy, 7/10/2009
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (+0.10) Berlin, Germany, 8/22/2009
Irving Saladino (Panama) 8 Performances
Irving Saladino reached 28 feet or more eight times outdoors. His career best, 28 feet 7 ‘¾ inches (8.73 meters), came on May 24, 2008, in Hengelo, Netherlands. The ninth best performance of all-time outdoors, it stands as the Panamanian national record.
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+1.60) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5/14/2006
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+0.90) Oslo, Norway, 6/2/2006
28 feet (8.53 meters) (-0.20) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5/13/2007
28 feet (8.53 meters) (-1.20) Hengelo, Netherlands, 5/26/2007
28 feet 1’½ inches (8.57 meters) (0.00) Osaka, Japan, 8/30/2007
28 feet 7’¾ inches (8.73 meters) (+1.20) Hengelo, Netherlands, 5/24/2008 (NR)
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+0.80) Hengelo, Netherlands, 6/1/2009
28 feet 3’¾ inches (8.63 meters) (-0.40) Eugene, Oregon, 6/7/2009
Robert Emmiyan (Soviet Union) 3 Performances
Robert Emmiyan reached 28 feet or more three times outdoors. His career best, 29 feet 1 inch (8.86 meters) came on May 22, 1987 in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia (then the Soviet Union). The fourth best long jump of all-time outdoors, it stands as the Armenian national record
28 feet 3 inches (8.61 meters) (-0.30) Moscow, Russia, 7/6/1986
29 feet 1 inch (8.86 meters) (+1.90) (A) Tsakhkadzor, Armenia (then the Soviet Union), 5/22/1987 (NR)
28 feet (8.53 meters) (-0.20) Rome, Italy, 9/5/1987
Erick Walder (United States) 3 Performances
Erick Walder reached 28 feet or more three times outdoors. His career best, 28 feet 8’¼ inches (8.74 meters) came on April 2, 1994 in El Paso, Texas. It is tied for the eighth best performance of all-time outdoors.
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+0.90) New Orleans, Louisiana, 6/3/1993
28 feet 8 ‘¼ inches (8.74 meters) (+2.00) (A) El Paso, Texas, 4/2/1994 (CB)
28 feet 1’¾ inches (8.58 meters) (+1.80) Springfield, Missouri, 5/4/1996
Yago Lamela (Spain) 3 Performances
Yago Lamela reached 28 feet or more two times outdoors and once indoors. His outdoor career best, 28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters), came on June 24, 1999, in Turin, Italy. Tied for the twenty-fifth best performance of all-time outdoors, it stands as the Spanish outdoor national record. Lamela’s indoor career best, 28 feet 1 inches (8.56 meters), came on March 7, 1999, in Maebashi, Japan. Tied for the sixth best performance indoors, it stands as the Spanish indoor national record.
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) Maebashi, Japan, 3/7/1999 (NR-Indoor)
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+1.30) Turin, Italy, 6/24/1999 (NR-Outdoor)
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+1.30) Castellon, Spain, 8/18/2003
James Beckford (Jamaica) 2 Performances
James Beckford reached 28 feet or more two times outdoors. His outdoor career best, 28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) came on April 5, 1997, in Orlando, Florida. Tied for the nineteenth best performance of all-time outdoors, it stands as the Jamaican national record.
28 feet 3’½ inches (8.62 meters) (+0.70) Orlando, Florida, 4/5/1997 (NR)
28 feet 2’¾ inches (8.60 meters) (+0.40) Bad Langensalza, Germany, 6/6/1998
Kareem Streete-Thompson (United States) 2 Performances
Kareem Streete-Thompson reached 28 feet or more two times outdoors. His outdoor career best, 28 feet 3’¾ inches (8.63 meters), came on July 4, 1994 in Linz, Austria, and is tied for the eighteenth best performance of all-time.
28 feet 3’¾ inches (8.63 meters) (+0.50) Linz, Austria, 7/4/1994 (CB)
28 feet 1 inch (8.56 meters) (+1.90) New York, New York, 5/21/1995
Louis Tsatoumas (Greece) 2 Performances
LoÆ’ºis TsÆ’¡toumas reached 28 feet or more two times outdoors. His outdoor career best, 28 feet 5 inches (8.66 meters), came on June 2, 2007, in Kalamata, Greece. Tied for the fifteenth best performance of all-times, it stands as the Grecian national record.
28 feet 5 inches (8.66) (+1.60) Kalamata, Greece, 6/2/2007 (NR)
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (+0.80) Hania, Greece, 6/9/2007
Bob Beamon (United States) 1 Performance
Bob Beamon reached 28 feet or more once. His outdoor career best, 29 feet 2’½ inches (8.90 meters), came on October 18, 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico. With this performance, Beamon won the Olympic gold medal and established a world record that stood until August 30, 1991, when Mike Powell surpassed it. The second best performance of all-time outdoors, it stands as the Olympic record.
29 feet 2’½ inches (8.90 meters) (2.00) (A) Mexico City, Mexico, 10/18/1968 (OR)
Lutz Dombrowski (German Democratic Republic) 1 Performance
Lutz Dombrowski reached 28 feet or more once outdoors. His outdoor career best, 28 feet ‘¼ (8.54 meters), came on July 28, 1980 in Moscow, Russia, then the Soviet Union. Tied for the twenty-seventh best performance of all-time outdoors, it earned Dombrowski the Olympic gold medal, and established the German Democratic Republic national record, which continues to stand as the German national record.
28 feet ‘¼ inch (8.54 meters) (0.90) Moscow, Russia (then the Soviet Union), 7/28/1980 (NR-Outdoor)
Jaime Jefferson (Cuba) 1 Performance
Jaime Jefferson reached 28 feet once outdoors. His career best, 28 feet (8.53 meters), came on May 12, 1990 in Havana, Cuba, and is tied for the twenty-eighth best performance of all-time outdoors.
28 feet (8.53 meters) (+1.20) Havana, Cuba, 5/12/1990 (CB)
Sebastian Bayer (Germany) 1 Performance
Sebastian Bayer reached 28 feet or more once indoors. His indoor career best, 28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters), came March 8, 2009 in Turin, Italy. The second best performance of all-time indoors, its stands as the European Indoor Championship, European Area, and German national records.
28 feet 7 inches (8.71 meters) Turin, Italy, 3/8/2009 (AR-Europe; NR-Indoor)
References:
IAAF, Long Jump All-Time (Indoors), IAAF Website
IAAF, Long Jump All-Time (Outdoors), IAAF Website
