Stagnation of jumps?

It is odd; now that you mention it, particularly with the advancement in training, technology, etc.

Just goes to show how INCREDIBLE those athletes were!

More like incredibly doped

You think they’re not doped now??

Not like back then; it's similar in most field events. I guess that in the field events pole vault is an exception for technical reasons and if one substracts Mondo, it also stagnated. The other exception is shot put because the rotational technique was perfected in the last 20 years.

But we haven't gotten better dope... Feels like track improvement alone though would get a few inches.

I think a lot of it is money where these events just don't have it so people sprint. And I have a feeling even more jumpers are taking up sports like soccer/basketball at a young age instead of athletics...

But man the LJ/hj list do look like the woman's 400/800m list with so many people born in the 60s/70s...

Barshim without injuries might have had a shot at Sotomayor's record and I am pretty sure that if Lasitskene or Mihambo could use the stuff used 30 years ago, they would have a good chance at the respective records. It's not only performance enhancement, it's also that some stuff lets one train harder and/or reduces risk of injury.

For High jump one need freakish athletes who can remain very light and retain their speed and power.

I share a bit of the puzzlement at the stagnation (or actually regression) in LJ.

I think the biggest reason is the shallow pool of talent level that participates in the jumps.

Carl Lewis was the fastest man in the world and he did the long jump.
Long jumpers are mostly people who couldn’t succeed in the 100 and chose a less competitive event.
And triple jumpers are often average long jumpers.

Then there’s other sports to play if you’re talented at jumping.
Mike Conley won the Olympic triple jump. His son plays in the NBA.

Granted that this was true were there more sprinters not good enough for the sprints in the 80s and 90s? and if so, why? There are lots of sprinters without a decent chance for international finals (or not even relay). Why don't more of them long jump successfully?

It does not apply to HS and PV.

Leroy Burrell jumped 27’5”.
With 9.85 speed, he could have been a 29 foot long jumper if he kept it up.

Mostly, I think good sprinters don’t mess with it in high school. And colleges don’t develop it. They work more on the relays.
By the time good sprinters can’t make it as great sprinters, they have no long jump experience.

It baffles me as well. I’m just trying to reason it.

Don't focus on the WR. That can just be a freak. Look through the rest of the top 20 and be amazed at how many performances from the 80s are still there.

The 400/800 s another event with a surprising number of old times. The doped up distance events are pretty much all post 1995 records. The 100/200 are basically the same. 400/800? Butch (yeah I know) or Evans still stand up. Same thing with Coe.

Jumps, unlike most running events, is 90% determined by God-given genetics. An incredible reactive ability, a taut nervous system, loads of fast twitch muscle fibers, and low body weight are required. A coach comes along to help with technique. Not a lot of mystery or new training breakthroughs.

Those sorts of people are more likely to choose other events, or sports.