Bob Beamon

Bob Beamon
Beamon in 1992
Personal information
Birth nameRobert Beamon
NationalityAmerican
Born (1946-08-29) August 29, 1946 (age 78)[1]
South Jamaica, Queens, New York City[2]
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1]
Weight154 lb (70 kg)[1]
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventLong jump
College teamThe University of Texas at El Paso
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City Long jump
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1967 Winnipeg Long jump

Robert Beamon (born August 29, 1946) is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968. By jumping 8.90 m (29 ft 2+14 in), he broke the existing record by a margin of 55 cm (21+34 in) and his world record stood for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. The jump is still the Olympic record and the second-longest in history unassisted by wind.

  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bob Beamon". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).