This Long Jump Record Has Outlasted 56 Years of Olympians

Every four years, countless memories are created because of the Summer Olympics. Athletes from various countries around the world proudly represent the places they love. There are numerous events in every rendition of the games where records are broken. In 2021, Sydney McLaughlin notably broke the record for the 400-meter hurdles. Folks from everywhere celebrated her accomplishment. Yet, there are some records that have been around for decades.

The longest unbroken record in the Summer Olympics is Bob Beamon’s men’s long jump. In 1968, Beamon flew 8.9 meters in the air in Mexico City. The record stood for around 23 years as a world record as well, until it was broken in the 1990s by Mike Powell. However, Beamon’s record still stands as an Olympic record since Powell didn’t break it at the games. Countless jumpers have waited their turn to take a shot at Beamon’s Olympic record.

The oldest women’s Summer Olympic record belongs to Ilona Slupianek. In 1980, Slupianek shot a shot put 22.4 meters in the air. Her record-breaking achievement came three days before Nadezdha Olizarenko set a new standard in the women’s 800-meter run. Tossing a shot put is one of the most challenging things to do in track and field. Throwers have to be careful they have the correct form. Otherwise, participants will likely mess up their shoulders. For more Olympic content, click here to read about athletes with the most Summer Olympic medals ever.

To compile this list of oldest currently standing Olympic records, 24/7 Tempo consulted Olympic related sources. These include Metro.co.uk, SportStar, and Athletics Weekly.

Bob Beamon’s men’s long jump

Folks have been attempting to fly ever since the dawn of time. Sadly, gravity will only allow people to jump so far or high. People like Bob Beamon have trained their entire lives to beat gravity. In 1968, Beamon seemingly figured out the trick to jump as far as possible. While in Mexico City for the Summer Olympics, Bowman took flight. He went 8.9 meters in the air before coming down. Beamon broke both the Olympic and world record when he completed the jump.

Amazingly enough, even with all the new technology and training methods athletes have, Beamon’s Olympic record hasn’t been taken down. However, in 1991, 23 years after Beamon took flight, a man named Mike Powell broke Beamon’s record at the World Championships in Tokyo. Beamon still has his name in the record books. Fans argue that the most impressive part about Beamon’s jump is that it wasn’t wind-aided whatsoever.

Ilona Slupianek’s women’s shot put

Ilona Slupianek showed the world what she could do with a shot put during the 1980 Olympic games in Moscow. Slupianek threw the shot put 22.41 meters, a women’s record that still stands today. She also beat Nadezdha Olizarenko by three days to hold the claim as the women with the oldest Summer Olympic record. Throwing a shot put requires tons of training and practice. The technique arguably needs the most fundamentals of any sport.

If someone throws a shot put incorrectly, they’ll likely severely damage their shoulder. A women’s shot put weighs around 9 pounds. Each toss is done with the ball starting close to the face of the person throwing it. Rather than cocking the arm back like when throwing a baseball, a shot put is tossed by extending your arm right away. That ensures no injuries occur. There’s no telling how much longer Slupianek’s Olympic record will stand, but she’s been the the proud holder for more than 40 years.

Nadezdha Olizarenko’s women’s 800-meter run

There’s nothing like watching an 800-meter run at the Olympics. The event forces athlete’s to avoid going all out at first, like in the 100-meter dash, while still forcing them to keep a fast pace since it’s a short race. Three days after Ilona Slupianek set the women’s shot put record, Nadezdha Olizarenko etched her name in history. She ran the 800-meters in the amazing time of 1:53.43.

It’s somewhat shocking to fans that Olizarenko’s 800-meter time has withstood the test of time the way it has. There are countless people around the world who spend their days running. The training and recovery methods athletes have had access to over the last 40 years has grown exponentially. That just goes to show how amazing of a runner Olizarenko was during her career. There’s no telling how much quicker she would have ran with everything athletes have today.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s women’s heptathlon

It’s challenging to find an Olympic event that determines the best overall athlete in the world better than the heptathlon. The women’s competition is comprised of the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter run, long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run. Those competing showcase their talent in every event and are awarded points based on how well they do. Various formulas were created to give athletes a fair shake.

In 1988, Jackie Joyner-Kersee showed up to Seoul and put on a spectacle for fans to watch. She finished with a total of 7,291 points, which stands both as an Olympic and world record. For the last 36 years, competitors have done their best to match Joyner-Kersee whenever the take the field. Fans need to begin putting those who win the heptathlon in the same conversation of amazing athletic accomplishments the same way they do their favorite stars on basketball and football teams.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s women’s long jump

There’s no arguing Jackie Joyner-Kersee had one of the most amazing Olympics in 1988. Along with setting the women’s heptathlon record, she also set the women’s long jump record. Joyner-Kersee flew 7.4 meters in the air until she finally came down. It’s comes as no surprise to fans that Joyner-Kersee played high level basketball in college while also chasing her dreams in track and field.

Between 1980 and 1985, Joyner-Kersee starred for the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team. She took a redshirt year in the 1983-1984 year to focus on preparing for the Olympics. Throughout her Olympic career, Joyner-Kersee won three gold medals. Joyner-Kersee was named the Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time by Sports Illustrated. She continued working in track and field once she retired from competition.

Martina Hellmann’s women’s discus throw

People have competed to see who can throw something the farthest since the dawn of time. One Summer Olympic event that showcases someone’s ability to do this is the discus throw. Events like the discus throw can be traced back to the first renditions of the games in Greece. However, nobody has had as successful of a discus throw during the Olympics as Martina Hellmann. She threw a discus 72.3 meters before it came crashing down.

The 1988 games in Seoul were a popular time for women to be setting records, as these are the games when Hellmann set her record. While throwing a discus isn’t as challenging as throwing a shot put, it’s still a technique that requires a ton of skill. The release point on a discus throw is the most important thing an athlete can focus on. Getting the right angle can be more beneficial than throwing the discus hard.

Florence Griffith Joyner’s women’s 200-meter run

Tons of Olympic fans consider the 200-meter run one of the most electric moments of the games. It’s longer than the 100-meter dash, which means there’s more time for comebacks. In 1988, Florence Griffith Joyner completed one of the most remarkable 200-meter runs in history. She concluded with a time of 21.34 seconds for her dash, which stands as both an Olympic and world record.

Amazingly, she married Al Joyner, the brother of the formerly mentioned Jackie Joyner-Kersee. The 1988 games were kind to Griffith Joyner. She won three gold medals and one silver medal. Once her athletic career concluded, Griffith Joyner was named the Co-chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by former President Bill Clinton. Her record still stands today, as athletes continue to aim to remove her name from the book and add theirs.

Sergey Litvinov’s men’s hammer throw

The hammer throw is another example of people seeing how far they can toss something. Contestants don’t throw an actual hammer, but rather a metal ball attached to the end of a wire. The participant steps in circles, growing momentum, before ultimately releasing the hammer and seeing how far it goes. Like the other throwing events in the Olympics, form and fundamentals are absolutely paramount.

In 1988, Sergey Litvinov made history with one of his throws. His hammer flew for a total of 84.8 meters in the air before crashing back to Earth. During his Olympic career, Litvinov won a gold medal and a silver medal for his efforts. He died in Sochi at the age of 60 from injuries sustained from a bicycle accident.

Soviet Union women’s 4×400 meter run

The last of the Olympic records set in 1988 was done by the Soviet Union women’s 4×400 meter track team. The group consisted of Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova, Mariya Pinigina, and Olha Bryzgina. These women completed their race in 3:15, which became an Olympic record that’s still standing. Unlike most track and field events, participants must rely on their teammates to show up for them in the 4×400 meter run.

Individuals can only do so much. If you have a weak runner on your team, that means the rest of the squad will have to make up for their slacking. Bryzgina had the best career out of the four women to set the record. In addition to winning the gold medal in the women’s 4×400, she won the gold medal in the individual 400-meter run. There’s no denying how impactful the 1988 games in Seoul were. Folks around the world got to witness greatness in seemingly every event.

Kenny Harrison’s men’s triple jump

One of the most challenging events in track and field is the triple jump. Rather than run full speed ahead and leap into the air, contestants must take two skips before their final thrust. Because of that, the distances achieved in the triple jump are much larger than that of the regular long jump. The participant has tons of momentum carrying them forward. However, there’s tons of skills and fundamentals that go into perfecting the triple jump.

In 1996, Kenny Harrison took quite the leap during the triple jump. He landed 18.09 meters from where he took off. The most impressive fact about Harrison’s jump is that the wind was coming directly towards his face while he was jumping. Had the wind not been there, Harrison would have leapt even further. While that was the only year Harrison took home a medal in the Olympics, he did his best to leave a lasting impact.

Marie-Jose Perec’s women’s 400-meter run

Fans around the world love tuning in for the 400-meter run. Athletes must complete one trip around the track before the winner runs through the tape. While one trip around the track seems easy, there’s more that goes into it. Contestants must maintain a pace they can conceivably do for at least one minute. They also have to kick on the extra gear at the end to separate themselves from the rest of the field.

In 1996, Marie-Jose Perec ran a race that nobody in the Olympics has topped… yet. She completed the 400-meter run in 48.25 seconds. Perec has one of the most impressive Olympic resumes in the world. The only medals she’s ever won have been gold. She’s taken home two gold medals in the 400-meter run and one in the 200-meter run. Since retiring, Perec was elected as the President for the governing body of Guadalupe, her home country.

Charles Austin’s men’s high jump

Everyone’s dream is to jump and reach the stars. The high jump is the best event at showcasing who the best in the world are at doing this. One major difference from regular jumping and high jumping is athletes lead with their back to clear a pole. Contestants make a large loop before jumping off of one leg. There’s a large mat underneath the competitors when they land so they don’t hurt themselves.

The greatest Olympian high jumper is Charles Austin. During the 1996 games, Austin cleared a pole 2.39 meters off the ground. That translates to more than 7.5 feet. Austin didn’t just come into the event and start off by clearing 2.39 meters. Instead, he cleared smaller heights before reaching his ultimate mark. Once he retired from competing, Austin opened up his own sports performance center in Texas. For more Olympic content, click here to read about why athletes can’t make any money during the games.

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