Triple jump facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the athletics event. For the jump with three revolutions in figure ice-skating and roller-skating, see Figure skating jumps.

Quick facts for kids Athletics Triple jump
Former world record holder Willie Banks during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea
World records
Men	Jonathan Edwards 18.29 m (59 ft 11.95374016 in) (1995)
Women	Yulimar Rojas 15.74 m (51 ft 7.56003937 in) i (2022)
Olympic records
Men	Kenny Harrison 18.09 m (59 ft 4.07972441 in) (1996)
Women	Yulimar Rojas 15.67 m (51 ft 4.80413386 in) (2021)
World Championship records
Men	Jonathan Edwards 18.29 m (59 ft 11.95374016 in) (1995)
Women	Inessa Kravets 15.50 m (50 ft 10.11122048 in) (1995)

The triple jump is an exciting track and field event. It is a "horizontal jump," much like the long jump. Athletes run down a track and perform three continuous movements: a hop, a step, and then a jump into a sand pit. This event has been part of the modern Olympics since they began in 1896.

The current male world record holder is Jonathan Edwards from the United Kingdom. He jumped an amazing 18.29 m (59 ft 11.95374016 in) meters. For women, the world record belongs to Yulimar Rojas from Venezuela. Her incredible jump was 15.74 m (51 ft 7.56003937 in) meters.

A Look Back: History of Triple Jump
How to Triple Jump: The Technique
Amazing Records in Triple Jump
Champions of the Triple Jump
Images for kids
See also

A Look Back: History of Triple Jump

People sometimes thought that very long jumps in the ancient Olympic Games were actually triple jumps. This idea came from old stories. However, there is no clear proof that the triple jump was in the ancient Olympics. The very long distances mentioned might have been exaggerated in poems.

The triple jump was included in the very first modern Olympics in 1896. This happened in Athens, Greece. Back then, the jump was a bit different. It involved two hops on the same foot, then a final jump. The first modern Olympic champion was James Connolly, who won the triple jump.

Early Olympics also had a "standing triple jump." In this version, athletes started without a run-up. This event is not part of the Olympics anymore. The women's triple jump was added to the Olympics in 1996, at the Atlanta Games.

In Irish mythology, there was an event called "geal-ruith." This was a triple jump. It was part of the ancient Irish Tailteann Games. These games date back as far as 1829 BC.

How to Triple Jump: The Technique

The triple jump involves three smooth, continuous phases. Athletes need to keep their speed and balance through each part. This helps them jump as far as possible.

The Approach Run

The approach is the first and very important part of the jump. The athlete sprints down a special runway. They aim for a takeoff mark. This mark is usually a wooden board or a painted line.

To make sure athletes don't step over the mark, there's often a strip of clay or tape. If any part of the foot goes past the mark, it's a "foul." The takeoff boards are placed at different distances from the sand pit. This depends on how far the athlete can jump. Common distances are 40 feet, 32 feet, and 24 feet from the pit.

The Hop Phase

The hop is the first of the three main phases. The athlete takes off from the board using one leg. For example, if they use their right leg to take off, they must land on the same right leg.

The goal of the hop is to move forward with power. The landing from the hop is very active. The athlete uses their takeoff leg to push backward strongly. This helps them keep their speed for the next part.

The Step Phase

The step phase starts right after the hop landing. The athlete uses the momentum from the hop. They immediately jump forward and upward. The other leg (the left leg in our example) helps with this takeoff. It moves like a powerful bounding motion.

In the air, the athlete holds a specific position. The takeoff leg (right leg) is bent behind them. The other leg (left leg) is leading, bent at the hip and knee. Then, the athlete extends the leading leg. They quickly bring it backward to land. This landing also involves a strong backward push. The goal is to take the longest step possible while staying balanced.

The Jump Phase

The jump is the final phase. It starts from the landing of the step. The athlete uses the force from the step to take off one last time. This part is similar to a long jump. However, athletes usually have less speed by now. They often use a "hang" or "sail" technique to get more distance.

When landing, the athlete lands in a sand-filled pit. They try to land without sitting back. They also try not to place their hands behind their feet. The sandpit usually starts 13 meters from the takeoff board for men's international events. For women and club-level men, it's usually 11 meters. Each part of the triple jump should flow smoothly. The landings should have a regular rhythm.

What is a Foul?

A "foul" means a jump doesn't count. This can happen for a few reasons:

The jumper steps over the takeoff mark.
The jumper misses the sand pit completely.
The jumper does not use the correct foot sequence (hop on same foot, step on other foot, jump).
The jumper takes too long to make the attempt (usually about 90 seconds).

If a foul happens, an official will raise a red flag. The next jumper then gets ready. It is not a foul if an athlete's "sleeping leg" (the non-takeoff leg) touches the ground.

Amazing Records in Triple Jump

Here are some of the best triple jump records around the world.

As of March 2022^[update]

Area	Men's		Women's
Area	Mark	Athlete	Mark	Athlete
World	18.29 m (59 ft 11.95374016 in)	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)	15.74 m (51 ft 7.56003937 in) i	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)
Continental records
Africa	18.07 m (59 ft 3.29232284 in) i	Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)	15.39 m (50 ft 5.78051181 in)	Françoise Mbango Etone (CMR)
Asia	17.59 m (57 ft 8.39468504 in)	Yanxi Li (CHN)	15.25 m (50 ft 0.26870079 in)	Olga Rypakova (KAZ)
Europe	18.29 m (59 ft 11.95374016 in)	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)	15.50 m (50 ft 10.11122048 in)	Inessa Kravets (UKR)
North, Central America and Caribbean	18.21 m (59 ft 8.80413386 in)	Christian Taylor (USA)	15.29 m (50 ft 1.84350394 in)	Yamilé Aldama (CUB)
Oceania	17.46 m (57 ft 3.27657481 in)	Ken Lorraway (AUS)	14.04 m (46 ft 0.63090552 in)	Nicole Mladenis (AUS)
South America	17.90 m (58 ft 8.59940945 in)	Jadel Gregório (BRA)	15.74 m (51 ft 7.56003937 in) i	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)

Note: results cannot count towards records if they are wind-assisted (meaning the wind was blowing too strongly, over 2.0 m/s).

Champions of the Triple Jump

Many incredible athletes have won medals in the triple jump at major competitions.

Olympic Champions

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Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1896 Athens details	James Brendan Connolly United States	Alexandre Tuffère France	Ioannis Persakis Greece
1900 Paris details	Myer Prinstein United States	James Brendan Connolly United States	Lewis Sheldon United States
1904 St. Louis details	Myer Prinstein United States	Fred Englehardt United States	Robert Stangland United States
1908 London details	Tim Ahearne Great Britain	Garfield MacDonald Canada	Edvard Larsen Norway
1912 Stockholm details	Gustaf Lindblom Sweden	Georg Åberg Sweden	Erik Almlöf Sweden
1920 Antwerp details	Vilho Tuulos Finland	Folke Jansson Sweden	Erik Almlöf Sweden
1924 Paris details	Nick Winter Australia	Luis Brunetto Argentina	Vilho Tuulos Finland
1928 Amsterdam details	Mikio Oda Japan	Levi Casey United States	Vilho Tuulos Finland
1932 Los Angeles details	Chūhei Nambu Japan	Erik Svensson Sweden	Kenkichi Oshima Japan
1936 Berlin details	Naoto Tajima Japan	Masao Harada Japan	Jack Metcalfe Australia
1948 London details	Arne Åhman Sweden	George Avery Australia	Ruhi Sarıalp Turkey
1952 Helsinki details	Adhemar da Silva Brazil	Leonid Shcherbakov Soviet Union	Asnoldo Devonish Venezuela
1956 Melbourne details	Adhemar da Silva Brazil	Vilhjálmur Einarsson Iceland	Vitold Kreyer Soviet Union
1960 Rome details	Józef Szmidt Poland	Vladimir Goryaev Soviet Union	Vitold Kreyer Soviet Union
1964 Tokyo details	Józef Szmidt Poland	Oleg Fedoseyev Soviet Union	Viktor Kravchenko Soviet Union
1968 Mexico City details	Viktor Saneyev Soviet Union	Nelson Prudêncio Brazil	Giuseppe Gentile Italy
1972 Munich details	Viktor Saneyev Soviet Union	Jörg Drehmel East Germany	Nelson Prudêncio Brazil
1976 Montreal details	Viktor Saneyev Soviet Union	James Butts United States	João Carlos de Oliveira Brazil
1980 Moscow details	Jaak Uudmäe Soviet Union	Viktor Saneyev Soviet Union	João Carlos de Oliveira Brazil
1984 Los Angeles details	Al Joyner United States	Mike Conley United States	Keith Connor Great Britain
1988 Seoul details	Khristo Markov Bulgaria	Igor Lapshin Soviet Union	Aleksandr Kovalenko Soviet Union
1992 Barcelona details	Mike Conley United States	Charles Simpkins United States	Frank Rutherford Bahamas
1996 Atlanta details	Kenny Harrison United States	Jonathan Edwards Great Britain	Yoelbi Quesada Cuba
2000 Sydney details	Jonathan Edwards Great Britain	Yoel García Cuba	Denis Kapustin Russia
2004 Athens details	Christian Olsson Sweden	Marian Oprea Romania	Danil Burkenya Russia
2008 Beijing details	Nelson Évora Portugal	Phillips Idowu Great Britain	Leevan Sands Bahamas
2012 London details	Christian Taylor United States	Will Claye United States	Fabrizio Donato Italy
2016 Rio de Janeiro details	Christian Taylor United States	Will Claye United States	Dong Bin China
2020 Tokyo details	Pedro Pichardo Portugal	Zhu Yaming China	Hugues Fabrice Zango Burkina Faso
2024 Paris details	Jordan Díaz Fortún Spain	Pedro Pichardo Portugal	Andy Díaz Hernández Italy