Jonathan Edwards (triple jumper) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jonathan Edwards
CBE

Edwards at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Personal information
Nationality	English
Born	(1966-05-10) 10 May 1966 (age 59) Westminster, London, England
Residence	Gosforth, Tyne & Wear, England
Education	West Buckland School
Alma mater	Van Mildert College, Durham University
Height	182 cm
Weight	71 kg
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 0 World Championships 2 1 2 World Indoor Championships 0 1 0 European Championships 1 0 1 European Indoor Championships 1 0 0 Commonwealth Games 1 2 0 Total 6 5 3 Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Triple jump Silver 1996 Atlanta Triple jump World Championships Gold 1995 Gothenburg Triple jump Gold 2001 Edmonton Triple jump Silver 1997 Athens Triple jump Bronze 1993 Stuttgart Triple jump Bronze 1999 Seville Triple jump World Indoor Championships Silver 2001 Lisbon Triple jump Goodwill Games Gold 1998 New York Triple jump  Gold 2001 Brisbane Triple jump  European Championships Gold 1998 Budapest Triple jump Bronze 2002 Munich Triple jump European Indoor Championships Gold 1998 Valencia Triple jump Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester Triple jump Silver 1990 Auckland Triple jump Silver 1994 Victoria Triple jump

Jonathan David Edwards is a famous British athlete. He was born on May 10, 1966. He is best known for his incredible skills in the triple jump.

Jonathan is a true champion. He has won gold medals at the Olympics, the World Championships, the European Championships, and the Commonwealth Games. He even holds the world record for the triple jump, which he set in 1995. Many people think he is the best triple jumper ever!

After he stopped competing, Jonathan became a sports commentator. He worked for the BBC and later for Eurosport. He also helped organize the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Early Life and Education

Jonathan Edwards was born in Westminster, London. He went to West Buckland School in Devon. This is where his talent for the triple jump was first noticed.

He was good at many sports and also did well in school. When he left, he received a special award for his achievements. The school even named a sports hall after him, called The Jonathan Edwards Sports Centre. After school, Jonathan studied Physics at Durham University.

Amazing Athletics Career

Jonathan Edwards became famous in 1995. He made an amazing jump of 18.43 meters (about 60 feet) at the European Cup. This jump showed everyone what he was capable of.

Later that year, he had a historic performance at the World Championships. He broke the world record not once, but twice in the same competition! His first jump was 18.16 meters, making him the first person to legally jump over 18 meters. Just 20 minutes later, he jumped an incredible 18.29 meters. This made him the first to jump over 60 feet.

• 1995 World Championships: Broke the world record twice (18.16m and 18.29m).
• 1996 Summer Olympics: Won a silver medal in Atlanta.
• 2000 Summer Olympics: Won the gold medal in Sydney, a dream come true!
• 2001 World Championships: Won another gold medal.
• 2002 Commonwealth Games: Won gold, meaning he held all four major titles at once.

Jonathan retired from competing after the 2003 World Championships.

Life After Athletics

Jonathan Edwards at the University of Ulster Winter Graduation Ceremony in 2006

After retiring, Jonathan started a career in television. He became a sports commentator and presenter for the BBC. He often provides expert analysis during athletics events.

He also enjoys cycling and has presented cycling coverage for the BBC. He even covered the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Jonathan was part of the team that organized the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In 2016, he joined Eurosport as their main presenter.

Jonathan's Faith Journey

When Jonathan Edwards first started his athletics career, he had strong Christian beliefs. Because of this, he initially chose not to compete on Sundays. This decision meant he missed out on some competitions, like the 1991 World Championships.

However, in 1993, after thinking about it a lot and talking with his father, he decided to compete on Sundays. He felt that his talent was a gift from God, and he should use it to compete. He once said that his faith was very important to everything he did.

For a while, he presented a Christian TV show called Songs of Praise. But in 2007, Jonathan shared that his beliefs had changed. He said he no longer felt the same strong faith he once had. He also mentioned that his belief in God had helped him a lot with the mental side of competing.

International Competitions

Jonathan Edwards competed for Great Britain and England in many major events. Here are some of his key results:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing  Great Britain and  England
1987	Universiade	Zagreb, Yugoslavia	9th	Triple jump	15.96 m
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	23rd (q)	Triple jump	15.88 m
1989	World Cup	Barcelona, Spain	3rd	Triple jump	17.28 m
1990	Commonwealth Games	Auckland, New Zealand	2nd	Triple jump	16.93 m (w)
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	35th (q)	Triple jump	15.76 m
	World Cup	Havana, Cuba	1st	Triple jump	17.34 m
1993	World Indoor Championships	Toronto, Canada	6th	Triple jump	16.76 m
	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	3rd	Triple jump	17.44 m
1994	Goodwill Games	Saint Petersburg, Russia	7th	Triple jump	16.57 m
	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	6th	Triple jump	16.85 m
	Commonwealth Games	Victoria, Canada	2nd	Triple jump	17.00 m
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	1st	Triple jump	18.29 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	2nd	Triple jump	17.88 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	2nd	Triple jump	17.69 m
1998	European Indoor Championships	Valencia, Spain	1st	Triple jump	17.43 m
	Goodwill Games	Uniondale, United States	1st	Triple jump	17.65 m
	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	Triple jump	17.99 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	3rd	Triple jump	17.48 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	1st	Triple jump	17.71 m
2001	World Indoor Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	2nd	Triple jump	17.26 m
	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	1st	Triple jump	17.92 m
	Goodwill Games	Brisbane, Australia	1st	Triple jump	17.26 m
2002	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, United Kingdom	1st	Triple jump	17.86 m
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	3rd	Triple jump	17.32 m
	World Cup	Madrid, Spain	1st	Triple jump	17.34 m
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	4th	Triple jump	17.19 m
	World Championships	Paris, France	12th	Triple jump	16.31 m

Personal Bests

These are Jonathan Edwards' best results in different events:

• Triple Jump – 18.29 m (World Record). He also jumped 18.43 m with too much wind, so it wasn't an official record.
• 100 m sprint – 10.48 seconds
• Long jump – 7.41 m

Awards and Recognition

Jonathan Edwards has received several special awards for his achievements:

• In 2002, he received an honorary doctorate from Heriot-Watt University.
• In 2006, he received another honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter.
• Later in 2006, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster.

Personal Life

Jonathan Edwards lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with his wife. They have two sons.

See also

In Spanish: Jonathan Edwards (atleta) para niños