He held a record that could not be beaten for 23 years: Who is Bob Beamon?
Bob Beamon's record, which broke the long jump record with 8.9 meters at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, was not broken until the 1991 Tokyo World Athletics Championships. The record was broken that year by Powell, who won the legendary duel between two American athletes, Mike Powell and Carl Lewis, with a jump of 8.95 cm.
However, since the same feat could not be achieved in the Olympics, Beamon still holds the long jump record.
American long jumper Bob Beamon, born in 1946, broke the world record with a time of 8.90 at the Mexico Olympics in 1968. This record was only broken 23 years later.
The athlete who came closest to this record of the American athlete, who became a professional in 1973, was his compatriot Carl Lewis. Lewis, who won gold medals in the long jump four times in a row at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, and Atlanta in 1996, was able to jump 8.72 in Seoul. Bob Beamon, who broke such a record that could not be broken for a long time, also worked as an athletics coach.
Robert Beamon (born August 29, 1946) is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. By jumping 8.90 m (29 ft 2+1⁄4 in), he broke the existing record by a margin of 55 cm (21+3⁄4 in) and his world record stood for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. The jump is still the Olympic record and the second-longest in history unassisted by wind.
Beamon's record is also the second-longest unbeaten record, after the 25-year record held by Jesse Owens from 1935-1960.
How did he start?
Bob Beamon was born in Queens, New York. He was discovered by athletics coach Larry Ellis while he was attending Jamaica High School. Finishing second in the United States in the long jump in 1965, he earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Texas El Paso.
Beamon was suspended from the university when he refused to run against Brigham Young University on the grounds that it had racist policies. The athlete, who was left without a coach with this decision, trained under the supervision of Ralph Boston.
The American athlete received a degree in sociology from Adelphi University in 1972.