I agree that he is the best long jumper on the planet at the moment. He just won the Olympics. The conditions were not great but the field was not spectacular either.
Guys like Pedroso, Lewis and even a healthy Saladino have jumped well over 8.50 into a -1.0 numerous times.
The wind did not allow for a great contest. 2 m head winds and 1 m tail.
That will throw your run up out badly. PLus it was in the 60s in temp.
But I blame Title 9 for this.
The track programs for men have been decimated as they pump up the women's programs and keep football intact.
It dumbs down the entire program.
No surpise that many of the athletes in the US team are 'middle aged'.
It'll only get worse.
The event as a whole and as for depth of the event has been in decline for over a decade. If a few of the top guys do not compete, the event gets exposed for its lack of depth.
The problem is, and it starts at the high school level, is that many LJ coaches today can't coach the event. Many spend too much time (days of the week) jumping and not enough time sprinting. More times than not, their athletes are jumping on dead legs. Also kids today foul a lot more than in the past, due to inconsistent approach runs. Many coaches start the season with a short approach and then change it to a longer one as the season progresses. Get one approach (18 to 22 steps) and keep it there. As the athlete gets faster, just move the starting mark back appropriately, this is done in practice and after run-thrus at the meet. With all we know about effective weight training, physics, faster runways and nutrition, athletes should be jumping further.
I also notice that not as many jumpers use the 2 1/2 hitch kick. Most are hang jumpers today. Using the hitch kick enables you to run off of the board more effectively.
1. Near sea level
2. Headwind
3. Temperature slightly cold
4. Not many guys that have jumped 28' this season yet previous to Olympics (I suspect zero).
Josh G wrote:
1. Near sea level
2. Headwind
3. Temperature slightly cold
This .....
they were all clean.
if we clean up the sport, which we all want, 'super marks' go away.
can't have both.
reference mlb home runs. . . .
The event's surely in decline when 27' wins and sub 27 gets medals. Why? I doubt that the coaching everywhere is the same or is all bad. More likely, the talent's not going into the long jump, other events getting more of it. These things go in cycles. The way that universities use title ix to cut spending on men's track may have something to do with it.
Old School Rules wrote:
They are teaching a bunch of new theories in jumps that really suck. If there was ever a time to go old school, it is now for our jumpers. Pretty much going to a USATF coaching clinic and doing the exact opposite of everything they say is step 1 to being one of the best jumps coaches in the country.
Just heard Rutherford saying he's been trying to emulate Carl Lewis' technique - perhaps there's something in this.
Bolt had considered LJ either just before or just after '08. That would be interesting - although I would prefer he stick to sprints.