Prompt Cast
Bob Beeman's Record-Breaking Long Jump at the Mexico City Olympics
TLDR Bob Beeman's long jump at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968 not only set a world record, but also remains the Olympic record to this day. Despite facing personal issues and controversies, Beeman's jump of 8.9 meters or 29 feet, 2.5 inches is considered one of the greatest athletic achievements of the 20th century.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Bob Beeman's gold medal-winning long jump in the Mexico City Olympics not only set a world record, but also added a new word to the English dictionary.
01:17
Bob Beeman was a successful athlete and the favorite to win the long jump at the Olympics, but he had personal issues and controversies surrounding his career.
02:28
Bob Beeman had difficulties in the preliminaries of the Olympic long jump competition, but his third jump put him in second place and was his personal best.
03:38
Bob Beeman's first jump in the finals of the Olympic long jump competition broke the world record, measuring 8.9 meters or 29 feet, 2.5 inches, causing him to collapse from the shock.
04:46
Bob Beeman's jump broke the long jump world record by almost 2 feet, a 6.59% improvement, making it the greatest single increase in a world record in the history of track and field.
06:08
Bob Beeman's long jump record-breaking jump had ideal conditions, including a maximum tailwind, high altitude, and praise from his competitors, but he was never able to replicate that jump again in his career.
07:19
Bob Beeman's long jump record, set in 1968, still stands as the Olympic record and is considered one of the greatest athletic achievements of the 20th century, with the next closest record being set in 1988, and the only legal jump longer than Beeman's was achieved by Mike Powell in 1991.
