The second event of the group that includes Horizontal Jumps is the Triple Jump. It consists of a hop, a step and then a jump into a sand pit and it is measured exactly the same as the regular Long Jump. Historical sources state that the Triple Jump originates from the 15-meter jump at the ancient Olympic Games. At the modern Olympics in 1896 the Triple Jump contained two hops and a jump and was only accessible for men. In 1908, the current format has been standardized in 1908 and in 1996 the first women’s competition was held. Let’s dive into the techniques and rules of the Triple Jump:
Similarly to the Long Jump, the Triple Jump begins with a sprint that will mostly determine the distance achieved by an athlete. After that, the athlete makes a hop where he takes off from the take-off board with one foot and drives forward while still landing on the same foot. Subsequently, the athlete makes a skip by using the momentum from the hop before and again pushes off with the same foot whereas they propel their opposite foot forward and therefore lands on this foot and prepares their body for the final leap. Here the athlete jumps off with lots of force and extends their upper body and they swing their legs forward and lock them together to improve stability and distance.
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Records
The first ever Triple Jump record was set by Dan Ahearn from the USA in the year 191.In New York, jumping 15.52 meters, he achieved an astonishing height that was just the beginning of a series of milestones. 25 years later, Japanese athlete Naoto Tajima was able to jump 16.00 meters. Then in 1960, Josef Szmidt (POL) passed the 17 meter mark with a distance of 17.03 meters. Most recent record is held by Jonathan Edwards from Great Britain since the 1995 World Athletics Championships. With 18.29 meters his record remains still unmatched with 2024 Olympics competitors being far away from such a distance. The Spanish athlete Jordan Alejandro Diaz Fortun received gold with 17.86 meters. For the women the world-record holder is Yulimar Rojas from Venezuela with 15.72 meters in 2022.
How to improve
In order to really improve your Triple jump, you have to consider many different Aspects.
- The triple jump requires a lot of power and strength in your lower body so you should do Plyometrics, Weight Training and Core training as to develop quick strength and be more stable for perfect technique
- As already said, sprinting determines a great part of your jumping distance. Therefore it’s very helpful to do Sprint drills where you run short distances (30-40m) to focus on your acceleration for the approach sprint
- Implement Dynamic and Static stretches so that you can perform your jumps with proper form and don’t have to worry about any injuries
- Video Analysis can help a lot when trying to get better. Record yourself and take a look on your takeoff angle, your form during the different parts of the jump and your landing technique
Triple jump – Wikipedia
Triple Jump
