World Record: 8.95m Mike Powell, United States Tokyo, Japan 30th August 1991
Olympic Record: 8.90m Robert Beamon, United States Mexico City, Mexico 18th October 1968.
The three Americans were the same as in Barcelona, and Lewis (35)
and Powell (32) were on the team together for the third time.
Remarkably, Lewis had qualified for his fifth consecutive Olympics in
the long jump, but he was not the favourite he had been at the past three
Games. After two rounds of the qualifying stage, he had reached only
7.93. He then flew to the front of the qualifiers with 8.30, followed by
Greene (8.28), surprising Russian Yuriy Naumkin (8.21) and Powell
(8.21).
In the final the early leader was Bangué, who jumped 8.19 in the first
round, and the Frenchman still led as Lewis got ready for his third
jump. Giving it the “Full Monty, ” Lewis took off, landing slightly to
the right of the pit, and coolly looked towards the markers to his right
as he came down, checking the distance even as he flew. The measurement
was worth looking at – 8.50 into a 1.3 wind. Greene also achieved
his best jump in round 3 – 8.24 – and held second until Beckford, with
his highly individualistic leg shoot, slipped past in the last round with
8.29. Lewis thus won his fourth title, surpassing Al Oerter as the most
durable champion of all, winning in an event usually unkind to that
kind of longevity.
Without detracting from Lewis’s win, he was fortunate not to meet a
healthy Iván Pedroso. Between 1993 and 1995 the Cuban had established
himself as the best jumper in the world, but required hamstring
surgery in 1996. He nevertheless qualified for the final with 8.05, one
of 13 to jump 8.00 or better, but placed only 12th in the final with 7.75.
United States
Jamaica
France
Slovenia
Belarus
Sweden
China
Russia
Cuba
Belgium
Ghana
Chinese Taipei
Romania
Czechia
Greece
Portugal
Ukraine
Brazil
Kenya
South Africa
Grenada
Brit. Virgin Isl.
Swaziland
Croatia
Sri Lanka
Germany
South Korea
Burkina Faso
Senegal
Hungary
Italy
Armenia
Spain
Canada
Japan
Yugoslavia
Turkmenistan
Neth. Antiles
Bulgaria
Gambia
Bahamas
