Triple jump facts for kids

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

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
	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

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

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1996 Atlanta details	Inessa Kravets  Ukraine	Inna Lasovskaya  Russia	Šárka Kašpárková  Czech Republic
2000 Sydney details	Tereza Marinova  Bulgaria	Tatyana Lebedeva  Russia	Olena Hovorova  Ukraine
2004 Athens details	Françoise Mbango Etone  Cameroon	Hrysopiyí Devetzí  Greece	Tatyana Lebedeva  Russia
2008 Beijing details	Françoise Mbango Etone  Cameroon	Olga Rypakova  Kazakhstan	Yargelis Savigne  Cuba
2012 London details	Olga Rypakova  Kazakhstan	Caterine Ibargüen  Colombia	Olha Saladukha  Ukraine
2016 Rio de Janeiro details	Caterine Ibargüen  Colombia	Yulimar Rojas  Venezuela	Olga Rypakova  Kazakhstan
2020 Tokyo details	Yulimar Rojas  Venezuela	Patrícia Mamona  Portugal	Ana Peleteiro  Spain
2024 Paris details	Thea LaFond  Dominica	Shanieka Ricketts  Jamaica	Jasmine Moore  United States

World Champions

Championships	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1983 Helsinki details	Zdzisław Hoffmann (POL)	Willie Banks (USA)	Ajayi Agbebaku (NGR)
1987 Rome details	Khristo Markov (BUL)	Mike Conley (USA)	Oleg Sakirkin (URS)
1991 Tokyo details	Kenny Harrison (USA)	Leonid Voloshin (URS)	Mike Conley (USA)
1993 Stuttgart details	Mike Conley (USA)	Leonid Voloshin (RUS)	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)
1995 Gothenburg details	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)	Brian Wellman (BER)	Jérôme Romain (DMA)
1997 Athens details	Yoelbi Quesada (CUB)	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)	Aliecer Urrutia (CUB)
1999 Seville details	Charles Friedek (GER)	Rostislav Dimitrov (BUL)	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)
2001 Edmonton details	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)	Christian Olsson (SWE)	Igor Spasovkhodskiy (RUS)
2003 Saint-Denis details	Christian Olsson (SWE)	Yoandri Betanzos (CUB)	Leevan Sands (BAH)
2005 Helsinki details	Walter Davis (USA)	Yoandri Betanzos (CUB)	Marian Oprea (ROU)
2007 Osaka details	Nelson Évora (POR)	Jadel Gregório (BRA)	Walter Davis (USA)
2009 Berlin details	Phillips Idowu (GBR)	Nelson Évora (POR)	Alexis Copello (CUB)
2011 Daegu details	Christian Taylor (USA)	Phillips Idowu (GBR)	Will Claye (USA)
2013 Moscow details	Teddy Tamgho (FRA)	Pedro Pichardo (CUB)	Will Claye (USA)
2015 Beijing details	Christian Taylor (USA)	Pedro Pichardo (CUB)	Nelson Évora (POR)
2017 London details	Christian Taylor (USA)	Will Claye (USA)	Nelson Évora (POR)
2019 Doha details	Christian Taylor (USA)	Will Claye (USA)	Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)
2022 Eugene details	Pedro Pichardo (POR)	Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)	Zhu Yaming (CHN)
2023 Budapest details	Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)	Lázaro Martínez (CUB)	Cristian Nápoles (CUB)

Championships	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1993 Stuttgart details	Anna Biryukova (RUS)	Yolanda Chen (RUS)	Iva Prandzheva (BUL)
1995 Gothenburg details	Inessa Kravets (UKR)	Iva Prandzheva (BUL)	Anna Biryukova (RUS)
1997 Athens details	Šárka Kašpárková (CZE)	Rodica Mateescu (ROU)	Olena Hovorova (UKR)
1999 Seville details	Paraskevi Tsiamita (GRE)	Yamilé Aldama (CUB)	Olga Vasdeki (GRE)
2001 Edmonton details	Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS)	Françoise Mbango Etone (CMR)	Tereza Marinova (BUL)
2003 Saint-Denis details	Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS)	Françoise Mbango Etone (CMR)	Magdelín Martínez (ITA)
2005 Helsinki details	Trecia Smith (JAM)	Yargelis Savigne (CUB)	Anna Pyatykh (RUS)
2007 Osaka[B] details	Yargelis Savigne (CUB)	Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS)	Marija Šestak (SLO)
2009 Berlin details	Yargelis Savigne (CUB)	Mabel Gay (CUB)	Anna Pyatykh (RUS)
2011 Daegu details	Olha Saladukha (UKR)	Olga Rypakova (KAZ)	Caterine Ibargüen (COL)
2013 Moscow details	Caterine Ibargüen (COL)	Ekaterina Koneva (RUS)	Olha Saladukha (UKR)
2015 Beijing details	Caterine Ibargüen (COL)	Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko (ISR)	Olga Rypakova (KAZ)
2017 London details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Caterine Ibargüen (COL)	Olga Rypakova (KAZ)
2019 Doha details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Shanieka Ricketts (JAM)	Caterine Ibargüen (COL)
2022 Eugene details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Shanieka Ricketts (JAM)	Tori Franklin (USA)
2023 Budapest details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR)	Leyanis Pérez Hernández (CUB)

Note

• ^B  The original bronze medalist (Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece) was disqualified for doping in 2016. The medal was given to Anna Pyatykh but later in 2017 she was disqualified for the use of steroids.

Indoor World Champions

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1985 Paris details	Khristo Markov (BUL)	Lázaro Betancourt (CUB)	Lázaro Balcindes (CUB)
1987 Indianapolis details	Mike Conley (USA)	Oleg Protsenko (URS)	Frank Rutherford (BAH)
1989 Budapest details	Mike Conley (USA)	Jorge Reyna (CUB)	Juan Miguel López (CUB)
1991 Seville details	Igor Lapshin (URS)	Leonid Voloshin (URS)	Tord Henriksson (SWE)
1993 Toronto details	Pierre Camara (FRA)	Māris Bružiks (LAT)	Brian Wellman (BER)
1995 Barcelona details	Brian Wellman (BER)	Yoelbi Quesada (CUB)	Serge Hélan (FRA)
1997 Paris details	Yoel García (CUB)	Aliecer Urrutia (CUB)	Aleksandr Aseledchenko (RUS)
1999 Maebashi details	Charles Friedek (GER)	LaMark Carter (USA)	Zsolt Czingler (HUN)
2001 Lisbon details	Paolo Camossi (ITA)	Jonathan Edwards (GBR)	Andrew Murphy (AUS)
2003 Birmingham details	Christian Olsson (SWE)	Walter Davis (USA)	Yoelbi Quesada (CUB)
2004 Budapest details	Christian Olsson (SWE)	Jadel Gregório (BRA)	Yoandri Betanzos (CUB)
2006 Moscow details	Walter Davis (USA)	Jadel Gregório (BRA)	Yoandri Betanzos (CUB)
2008 Valencia details	Phillips Idowu (GBR)	Arnie David Giralt (CUB)	Nelson Évora (POR)
2010 Doha details	Teddy Tamgho (FRA)	Yoandri Betanzos (CUB)	Arnie David Giralt (CUB)
2012 Istanbul details	Will Claye (USA)	Christian Taylor (USA)	Lyukman Adams (RUS)
2014 Sopot details	Lyukman Adams (RUS)	Ernesto Revé (CUB)	Pedro Pichardo (CUB)
2016 Portland details	Dong Bin (CHN)	Max Heß (GER)	Benjamin Compaoré (FRA)
2018 Birmingham details	Will Claye (USA)	Almir dos Santos (BRA)	Nelson Évora (POR)
2022 Belgrade details	Lázaro Martínez (CUB)	Pedro Pichardo (POR)	Donald Scott (USA)
2024 Glasgow details	Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)	Yasser Triki (ALG)	Tiago Pereira (POR)
2025 Nanjing details	Andy Díaz (ITA)	Zhu Yaming (CHN)	Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)

• Known as the World Indoor Games
• The original bronze medalist (Almir dos Santos of Brazil) was disqualified for wearing non-regulation shoes.

Games	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1993 Toronto details	Inessa Kravets (UKR)	Yolanda Chen (RUS)	Inna Lasovskaya (RUS)
1995 Barcelona details	Yolanda Chen (RUS)	Iva Prandzheva (BUL)	Ren Ruiping (CHN)
1997 Paris details	Inna Lasovskaya (RUS)	Ashia Hansen (GBR)	Šárka Kašpárková (CZE)
1999 Maebashi details	Ashia Hansen (GBR)	Iva Prandzheva (BUL)	Šárka Kašpárková (CZE)
2001 Lisbon details	Tereza Marinova (BUL)	Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS)	Tiombe Hurd (USA)
2003 Birmingham details	Ashia Hansen (GBR)	Françoise Mbango Etone (CMR)	Kéné Ndoye (SEN)
2004 Budapest details	Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS)	Yamilé Aldama (SUD)	Hrysopiyi Devetzi (GRE)
2006 Moscow details	Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS)	Anna Pyatykh (RUS)	Yamilé Aldama (SUD)
2008 Valencia details	Yargelis Savigne (CUB)	Hrysopiyi Devetzi (GRE)	Marija Šestak (SLO)
2010 Doha details	Olga Rypakova (KAZ)	Yargelis Savigne (CUB)	Anna Pyatykh (RUS)
2012 Istanbul details	Yamilé Aldama (GBR)	Olga Rypakova (KAZ)	Mabel Gay (CUB)
2014 Sopot details	Ekaterina Koneva (RUS)	Olha Saladukha (UKR)	Kimberly Williams (JAM)
2016 Portland details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Kristin Gierisch (GER)	Paraskevi Papachristou (GRE)
2018 Birmingham details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Kimberly Williams (JAM)	Ana Peleteiro (ESP)
2022 Belgrade details	Yulimar Rojas (VEN)	Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR)	Kimberly Williams (JAM)
2024 Glasgow details	Thea Lafond (DMA)	Leyanis Pérez (CUB)	Ana Peleteiro (ESP)

Images for kids

• 

  Phases of Phillips Idowu jumping at the 2008 Summer Olympics

• 

  Yulimar Rojas landing the women's world record triple jump at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade on 20 March 2022