long jump

The long jump is a track-and-field competition in which athletes attempt to complete the longest forward jump with a running start and a single leap. The long jump is sometimes also known as the broad jump.

An attempt in this event (the jump itself) is also called a long jump.

A competitor in the long jump is called a long jumper. Standard long jumps take place on a track with a running lane, a jumping area or takeoff board, and a sand pit to land in. The distance of the jump is measured from the edge of the takeoff board to the landing spot.

The two main long jump techniques are the tuck (in which the long jumper pulls their knees upward and then extends them at the last second) and the hitch kick (in which the long jumper continues their running motion after they jump in the air and then brings their feet together and extends them in front of them).

The long jump is a track-and-field event in the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games) and it is also part of the modern decathlon.

The long jump should not be confused with the high jump, which is a track-and-field (and decathlon) event in which athletes attempt to complete the highest jump over a crossbar. Like the long jump, the triple jump also begins with a running start, but (as the name implies) involves three jumping motions instead of the single leap used in the long jump.

Example: I’m training for the long jump and the high jump with my track-and-field team.

The first records of the term long jump as a name for the track-and-field event come from the 1880s. An earlier name for the sport, broad jump, is first recorded in the 1870s and is still sometimes used. The names of other track-and-field events use the word jump in the same way, including long jump and triple jump.

A version of the long jump was part of the ancient Greek Olympic Games, where athletes would perform a running jump with weights in their hands. The modern long jump was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every Olympics since. Originally, there were two separate Olympic events known—one with a running start and another from a standing position, which was eliminated from the Olympics in 1912. A women’s long jump event was added to the Olympics in 1948. The official name was changed from broad jump to long jump in the 1960s (the name change is thought to have been influenced by a desire to avoid an association with the derogatory slang sense of broad in reference to a woman).

What are some other forms related to long jump?

• long jumper (noun)

What are some synonyms for long jump?

• broad jump

What are some words that share a root or word element with long jump? 

• long
• jump
• triple jump
• high jump

What are some words that often get used in discussing long jump?

• track and field
• attempt
• distance
• runway
• takeoff
• tuck
• hitch kick

What are some words long jump may be commonly confused with?

• high jump

Most people are familiar with the high jump as a track-and-field event at the Summer Olympics.

Bringing home #IAAFWorldU20🥉!

Georgia's Tara Davis clinches the bronze in the long jump with a mark of 6.36. pic.twitter.com/shYhSMtD74

— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) July 13, 2018

Greg Rutherford wins long jump at World Athletics Championships #SSNHQ

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 25, 2015

Blessed to have made it to the World Championships Long Jump final!!! 😭😭💃🏽💃🏽🎉🎉🎉🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

— Lorraine Ugen (@loralski) August 27, 2015

True or False?

The distance of a long jump is measured from the edge of the takeoff board to the landing spot.