| Event: | Triple jump |
The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple jump was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games' inception in 1896.
According to World Athletics rules, "the hop shall be made so that an athlete lands first on the same footas that from which he has taken off; in the step he shall land on theother foot, from which, subsequently, the jump is performed."[1]
The male world record holder is Jonathan Edwards of the United Kingdom, with a jump of . The female world record holder is Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela, with a jump of .
Historical sources on the ancient Olympic Games occasionally mention jumps of 15 metres or more. This led sports historians to conclude that these must have been a series of jumps, thus providing the basis for the triple jump.[2] However, there is no evidence for the triple jump being included in the ancient Olympic Games, and the recorded extraordinary distances may be due to the artistic license of the authors of victory poems, rather than attempts to report accurate results.[3]
The triple jump was a part of the inaugural modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, although at the time it consisted of two hops on the same foot and then a jump.[4] The first modern Olympic champion, James Connolly, was a triple jumper. Early Olympics also included the standing triple jump, although this has since been removed from the Olympic program and is rarely performed in competition today. The women's triple jump was introduced into the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.[5]
In Irish mythology the geal-ruith (triple jump) was an event contested in the ancient Irish Tailteann Games as early as 1829 BC.[6]
The approach is one of the most important parts of an athlete's jump. The athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark, from which the triple jump is measured. The takeoff mark is commonly either a piece of wood or similar material embedded in the runway, or a rectangle painted on the runway surface. In modern championships, a strip of plasticine, tape, or modeling clay is attached to the far edge of the board to record athletes overstepping or "scratching" the mark, defined by the trailing edge of the board. These boards are placed at different places on the runway depending on how far the athlete can jump. Typically the boards are set 40 ft, 32 ft, and 24 ft from the pit. These are the most common boards seen at the high school and collegiate levels, but boards can be placed anywhere on the runway. There are three phases of the triple jump: the "hop" phase, the "bound" or "step" phase, and the "jump" phase. They all play an important role in the jump itself. These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence. The athlete has to maintain a good speed through each phase. They should also try to stay consistent to avoid fouls.[7]
The hop begins with the athlete jumping from the take-off board on one leg, which for descriptive purposes, will be the right leg. Precise placement of the foot on the take-off is important for the athlete to avoid a foul. The objective of the first phase is to hop out, with athletes focusing all momentum forward. The hop landing phase is very active, involving a powerful backward "pawing" action of the right leg, with the right take-off foot landing heel first on the runway.
The hop landing also marks the beginning of the step phase, where the athlete utilizes the backward momentum of the right leg to immediately execute a powerful jump forward and upwards, the left leg assisting the take-off with a hip flexion thrust similar to a bounding motion. This leads to the step-phase mid-air position, with the right take-off leg trailing flexed at the knee, and the left leg now leading flexed at the hip and knee. The jumper then holds this position for as long as possible, before extending the knee of the leading left leg and then immediately beginning a powerful backward motion of the whole left leg, again landing on the runway with a powerful backward pawing action. The takeoff leg should be fully extended with the drive leg thigh just below parallel to the ground. The takeoff leg stays extended behind the body with the heel held high. The drive leg extends with a flexed ankle and snaps downward for a quick transition into the jump phase. The athlete tries to take the farthest step they can while maintaining balance and control, using techniques such as pulling their leg up as high as possible.
The step landing forms the take-off of the final phase (the jump), where the athlete utilizes the backward force from the left leg to take off again. The jump phase is very similar to the long jump although most athletes have lost too much speed by this time to manage a full hitch kick, and mostly used is a hang or sail technique.
When landing in the sand-filled pit, the jumper should aim to avoid sitting back on landing or placing either hand behind the feet. The sandpit usually begins 13m from the take-off board for male international competition or 11m from the board for international female and club-level male competition. Each phase of the triple jump should get progressively higher, and there should be a regular rhythm to the three landings.
A "foul", also known as a "scratch", or missed jump, occurs when a jumper oversteps the takeoff mark, misses the pit entirely, does not use the correct foot sequence throughout the phases, or does not perform the attempt in the allotted amount of time (usually about 90 seconds). When a jumper "scratches", the seated official will raise a red flag, and the jumper who was "on deck", or up next, prepares to jump.
It shall not be considered a foul if an athlete while jumping, should touch or scrape the ground with his/her "sleeping leg". Also called a "scrape foul", "sleeping leg" touch violations were ruled as fouls before the mid-1980s. The IAAF changed the rules following outrage at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow when Soviet field officials in the Men's Triple Jump ruled as foul eight of the twelve jumps made by two leading competitors (from Brazil and Australia) thus helping two Soviet jumpers win the gold and silver medals.
| Area | Men's | Women's | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark | Athlete | Mark | Athlete | ||
| Continental records | |||||
Note: results cannot count towards records if they are wind-assisted (>2.0 m/s).
See also: Triple jump world record progression.
| Mark | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | +1.3 | 7 August 1995 | |||||
| 2 | 2 | +0.2 | 27 August 2015 | [14] | ||||
| 3 | 3 | −0.3 | Jordan Díaz | 11 June 2024 | Rome | [15] | ||
| 4 | +1.3 | Edwards #2 | 7 August 1995 | Gothenburg | ||||
| 4 | 5 | +0.4 | Will Claye | 29 June 2019 | Long Beach | [16] | ||
| 6 | +0.8 | Taylor #2 | 27 May 2017 | Eugene | ||||
| 5 | 7 | −0.4 | Kenny Harrison | 27 July 1996 | Atlanta | |||
| 6 | 8 | ±0.0 | Pedro Pichardo | 28 May 2015 | Havana | [17] | ||
| 9 | +0.8 | Pichardo #2 | 15 May 2015 | |||||
| +1.1 | Taylor #3 | 9 July 2015 | ||||||
| +0.4 | Claye #2 | 24 August 2019 | ||||||
| 7 | 12 | +0.3 | 18 August 2013 | |||||
| 12 | +0.8 | Taylor #4 | 15 May 2015 | |||||
| −0.6 | Pichardo #3 | 11 June 2024 | Rome | |||||
| 15 | +0.4 | Edwards #3 | 9 July 1998 | Oslo | ||||
| 16 | +1.3 | Edwards #4 | 27 August 1995 | London | ||||
| 17 | +0.5 | Edwards #5 | 23 August 1998 | |||||
| +1.8 | Pichardo #4 | 9 July 2015 | Lausanne | |||||
| 19 | +1.8 | Edwards #6 | 18 July 1995 | |||||
| +1.2 | Tamgho #2 | 12 June 2010 | ||||||
| ±0.0 | Pichardo #5 | 5 August 2021 | ||||||
| 8 | 22 | +1.5 | 16 June 1985 | |||||
| 23 | +0.1 | Taylor #5 | 4 September 2011 | |||||
| −0.4 | Pichardo #6 | 4 June 2015 | ||||||
| 25 | +0.6 | Pichardo #7 | 4 May 2018 | |||||
| +0.3 | Pichardo #8 | 23 July 2022 | [18] | |||||
| 9 | +1.6 |  Bulgaria | 31 August 1987 | Rome | ||||
| +1.9 | 20 May 1995 | Odessa | ||||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 11 | +1.0 | 20 June 1990 | Bratislava | ||||
| +0.4 | 20 May 2007 | Belém | ||||||
| 13 | ±0.0 | 15 October 1975 | Mexico City | |||||
| 14 | +1.7 | 27 June 1987 | San Jose | |||||
| +1.3 | Jaydon Hibbert | 13 May 2023 | Baton Rouge | [19] | ||||
| 16 | +1.3 | Charles Simpkins | 2 September 1985 | Kobe | ||||
| 17 | ±0.0 | Yoelbi Quesada | 8 August 1997 | Athens | ||||
| 18 | +0.2 | Hugues Fabrice Zango | 6 July 2021 | Székesfehérvár | ||||
| 19 | +1.0 | 5 July 2005 | Lausanne | |||||
| +0.1 | 29 July 2009 | Barcelona | ||||||
| 21 | +1.4 | 22 August 2004 | Athens | |||||
| align=center rowspan=2 | 22 | +1.0 | 7 June 1986 | Leningrad | ||||
| +0.8 | 17 July 2004 | Havana | ||||||
| 24 | +1.0 | 18 July 1987 | Bryansk | |||||
| 25 | +0.3 | 10 June 1990 | Moscow | |||||
| +1.0 | 26 August 1991 | Tokyo | ||||||
| +0.9 | Andy Díaz | 2 June 2023 | Florence | [20] |
Jumps made en route to final marks that would be top 25 performances:[21]
Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list of wind-assisted jumps (equal or superior to 17.75 m). Only the best-assisted mark that is superior to the legal best is shown:
| Mark | Wind (m/s) | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | +0.7 | 1 August 2021 | |||||
| 2 | +0.6 | Rojas #2 | 26 August 2021 | |||||
| 2 | 3 | +0.9 | 10 August 1995 | |||||
| 4 | +0.3 | Rojas #3 | 9 September 2021 | |||||
| 5 | +1.9 | Rojas #4 | 18 July 2022 | [22] | ||||
| 6 | +0.7 | Rojas #5 | 22 May 2021 | |||||
| 7 | +1.5 | Rojas #6 | 6 September 2019 | |||||
| 3 | 8 | +0.5 | 17 August 2008 | |||||
| 9 | −0.6 | Rojas #7 | 5 October 2019 | |||||
| 10 | +1.2 | Rojas #8 | 16 September 2023 | Eugene | [23] | |||
| 4 | 11 | −0.5 | Tatyana Lebedeva | 4 July 2005 | Heraklion | |||
| 12 | −0.1 | Kravets #2 | 31 July 1996 | |||||
| +1.2 | Lebedeva #2 | 6 July 2004 | ||||||
| 14 | +0.5 | Lebedeva #3 | 9 September 2000 | |||||
| 5 | 14 | +0.9 | 21 August 2004 | |||||
| 6 | 16 | ±0.0 | 18 July 2014 | |||||
| 16 | −0.2 | Rojas #9 | 26 August 2022 | Lausanne | [24] | |||
| 18 | +0.5 | Mbango Etone #2 | 23 August 2004 | |||||
| 7 | 19 | +0.3 | 11 July 2003 | |||||
| 20 | +0.3 | Aldama #2 | 2 August 2004 | |||||
| 8 | 20 | +0.9 | 31 August 2007 | |||||
| 20 | −0.2 | Rojas #10 | 8 September 2022 | [25] | ||||
| 23 | +1.2 | Aldama #3 | 8 August 2003 | |||||
| 24 | −0.8 | Lebedeva #4 | 10 August 2001 | |||||
| −0.1 | Devetzi #2 | 23 August 2004 | ||||||
| 9 | 24 | +1.7 | 4 September 2010 | |||||
| 10 | ±0.0 | 4 August 1997 | ||||||
| −0.3 | 24 September 2000 | |||||||
| 12 | +0.3 | 10 August 1995 | ||||||
| 13 | +0.1 | 4 August 1997 | ||||||
| +0.7 | 2 August 2004 | Linz | ||||||
| 15 | +1.5 | 13 September 1997 | ||||||
| 16 | +1.9 | 26 July 2009 | ||||||
| 17 | +0.5 | 29 August 1993 | ||||||
| −0.5 | 31 May 1997 | |||||||
| 19 | −0.6 | 22 August 1999 | ||||||
| 20 | +1.7 | 30 May 2015 | ||||||
| 21 | +1.9 | 26 June 2004 | Rome | |||||
| +1.1 | 17 August 2008 | Beijing | ||||||
| ±0.0 | Shanieka Ricketts | 16 September 2023 | [26] | |||||
| 24 | +0.9 | 9 August 2006 | Gothenburg | |||||
| +1.9 | 19 August 2022 | [27] | ||||||
| −0.4 | 3 August 2024 | [28] |
Jumps made en route to final marks that would be top 25 performances:[29]
Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list of wind-assisted jumps (equal or superior to 15.02 m). Only the best-assisted mark that is superior to the legal best is shown:
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Date | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 January 2021 | Aubière | |||
| 2 | 6 March 2011 | Paris | |||
| 3 | 1 March 1997 | Sindelfingen | |||
| 7 March 2004 | Budapest | ||||
| 5 | 6 February 1994 | Grenoble | |||
| 6 | 27 February 1987 | New York City | |||
| 7 | 9 March 2008 | Valencia | |||
| 8 | 18 February 2006 | Bucharest | |||
| 9 | 12 March 2006 | Moscow | |||
| 6 March 2011 | Paris | ||||
| 11 | 12 March 1995 | Barcelona | |||
| 12 | 11 March 2012 | Istanbul | |||
| 2 March 2013 | Gothenburg | ||||
| 14 | 14 March 2010 | Doha | |||
| 15 | 15 January 1987 | Osaka | |||
| 16 | 15 February 1988 | Birmingham | |||
| 18 March 2022 | Belgrade | ||||
| 18 | 11 March 2012 | Istanbul | |||
| 19 | 12 March 1995 | Barcelona | |||
| 1 March 1997 | Sindelfingen | ||||
| 21 | 6 February 2024 | Toruń | [30] | ||
| 22 | 3 March 2023 | Istanbul | [31] | ||
| 23 | 13 March 1993 | Toronto | |||
| 24 | 12 March 2006 | Moscow | |||
| 25 | 23 February 1986 | Madrid | |||
| 11 March 2023 | Albuquerque | [32] |
| Rank | Mark | Athlete | Date | Place | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 March 2022 | Belgrade | [33] | |||
| 2 | 6 March 2004 | Budapest | ||||
| 3 | 28 February 1998 | Valencia | ||||
| 4 | 13 March 2010 | Doha | ||||
| 5 | 11 March 2023 | Albuquerque | ||||
| 6 | 13 February 2008 | Athens | ||||
| 7 | 8 March 2008 | Valencia | ||||
| 8 | 11 March 1995 | Barcelona | ||||
| 9 | 8 March 1997 | Paris | ||||
| 3 March 2024 | Glasgow | [34] | ||||
| 11 | 7 March 1999 | Maebashi | ||||
| 5 February 2000 | Bucharest | |||||
| 20 February 2008 | Tartu | |||||
| 14 | 11 March 2006 | Moscow | ||||
| 15 | 28 February 1997 | Bucharest | ||||
| 11 March 2001 | Lisbon | |||||
| 17 | 6 March 2004 | Budapest | ||||
| 3 March 2024 | Glasgow | [35] | ||||
| 19 | 15 March 2003 | Birmingham | ||||
| 3 March 2013 | Gothenburg | |||||
| 11 March 2023 | Albuquerque | |||||
| 22 | 7 March 1999 | Maebashi | ||||
| 23 | 4 March 2013 | Athens | ||||
| 11 March 2006 | Moscow | |||||
| 25 | 1 February 2001 | Samara |
Jumps made en route to final marks that would be top 25 performances:[29]
| 1993 Toronto | ||||
| 1995 Barcelona | ||||
| 1997 Paris | ||||
| 1999 Maebashi | ||||
| 2001 Lisbon | ||||
| 2003 Birmingham | ||||
| 2004 Budapest | ||||
| 2006 Moscow | ||||
| 2008 Valencia | ||||
| 2010 Doha | ||||
| 2012 Istanbul | ||||
| 2014 Sopot | ||||
| 2016 Portland | ||||
| 2018 Birmingham | ||||
| 2022 Belgrade | ||||
| 2024 Glasgow |
| 1967 | Chorzów | |||
| 1968 | Mexico City | |||
| 1969 | Athens | |||
| 1970 | Suhumi | |||
| 1971 | Cali | |||
| 1972 | Suhumi | |||
| 1973 | Moscow | |||
| 1974 | Rome | |||
| 1975 | Mexico City | |||
| 1976 | Rio de Janeiro | |||
| 1977 | Sochi | |||
| 1978 | Bratislava | |||
| 1979 | San Juan | |||
| 1980 | Moscow | |||
| 1981 | Sacramento | |||
| 1982 | Provo | |||
| 1983 | Moscow | |||
| 1984 | Moscow | |||
| 1985 | Indianapolis | |||
| 1986 | Budapest | |||
| 1987 | Rome | |||
| 1988 | Sofia | |||
| 1989 | Budapest | |||
| 1990 | Stockholm | |||
| 1991 | Tokyo | |||
| 1992 | Zürich | |||
| 1993 | Stuttgart | |||
| 1994 | Grenoble | |||
| 1995 | Gothenburg | |||
| 1996 | Atlanta | |||
| 1997 | Athens | |||
| 1998 | Oslo | |||
| 1999 | Seville | |||
| 2000 | Sydney | |||
| 2001 | Edmonton | |||
| 2002 | Manchester | |||
| 2003 | Haina | |||
| 2004 | Budapest | |||
| 2005 | Lausanne | |||
| 2006 | Bucharest | |||
| 2007 | Belém | |||
| 2008 | Valencia | |||
| 2009 | Berlin | |||
| 2010 | New York City | |||
| 2011 | Daegu | |||
| 2012 | London | |||
| 2013 | Moscow | |||
| 2014 | Havana | |||
| 2015 | Beijing | |||
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | |||
| 2017 | Eugene | |||
| 2018 | Doha | |||
| 2019 | Long Beach | |||
| 2020 | Paris | |||
| 2021 | Aubière | |||
| 2022 | Eugene | |||
| 2023 | Baton Rouge |
| 1986 | Indianapolis | |||
| 1987 | Hamamatsu | |||
| 1988 | Shijiazhuang | |||
| 1989 | Stockholm | |||
| 1990 | Sapporo | |||
| 1991 | Moscow | |||
| 1992 | Villeneuve-d'Ascq | |||
| 1993 | Stuttgart | |||
| 1994 | Stara Zagora | |||
| 1995 | Gothenburg | |||
| 1996 | Sacramento | |||
| 1997 | Athens | |||
| 1998 | Maebashi | |||
| 1999 | Seville | |||
| 2000 | Yokohama | |||
| 2001 | Edmonton | |||
| 2002 | Radès | |||
| 2003 | Rome | |||
| 2004 | Budapest | |||
| 2005 | Saint-Denis | |||
| Helsinki | ||||
| 2006 | Athens | |||
| 2007 | Osaka | |||
| 2008 | Beijing | |||
| 2009 | Cheboksary | |||
| 2010 | Split | |||
| 2011 | Saint-Denis | |||
| Bogotá | ||||
| 2012 | Helsinki | |||
| 2013 | Gothenburg | |||
| 2014 | Monaco | |||
| 2015 | Eugene | |||
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | |||
| 2017 | Andújar | |||
| 2018 | Rabat | |||
| 2019 | Lima | |||
| 2020 | Madrid | |||
| 2021 | Tokyo | |||
| 2022 | Belgrade | |||
| 2023 | Eugene |