Where are your favorite long jumpers?


Long jumping is an olympic events that has been around since the days of ancient Greece. The object of the long jump itself is simple – jump as far as you possibly can. However, it is the combination of using the rules and the technique of the long jump to your advantage which is the most difficult part.
The long jump has changed quite a bit from it’s beginning over 2,500 years ago, but the entire premise is still the same. A jumper starts back on a track which has a sand pit at the end. The runner tries to run as fast as they possibly can, then launches themselves from a starting point (usually a plastic strip on the running track) and tries to go as far as they possibly can. They will then land in fine, soft sand. This is both so that the athlete does not hurt themselves but also so that it will be easier to see where the athlete landed, as there will be a clear line in the sand made by their feet.



Back in the days of ancient Greece, athletes would hold on to big weights called “halters.” These halters would be swung forward on the jump, increasing the athlete’s momentum mid-air. However, this practice is not used in modern long jumping competitions. Instead, long jumpers today use their own power and muscles in order to fly through the air.
Long jumping has been a popular activity for people throughout all time periods, as it’s a simple competition that involves very little actual equipment – couple of sticks will do for measuring. In fact, when the Olympics became an organized sport for the second time back in 1896, long jumping was one of the first events to be included. However, it would not be until 1948 that women finally got the chance to compete in long jumping on a competitive Olympic level, like the men.
There have been many female long jumpers throughout history, with each and every one of them contributing to women in sports. Today it is quite common to see women competing in the long jump, and almost nobody thinks twice about letting them compete.
There are, of course, women track and field stars who specialize in long jumps who, to this day, have captured the hearts and minds of their countrymen. We wanted to find out what had happened to some of the more famous female long jump Olympians, and what they were up to now. It turns out that…
[post_page_title]Yvonne Trevino Hayek – Then[/post_page_title]
Yvonne Trevino Hayek was born and raised in the northern Mexican town of Monterrey where she began breaking records the second she started competing. In fact, when she went to her first track and field event at the age of eight, she blew everyone out of the water (or sand), setting a long jump record for her age group. She has continued to train and grow in her sport, cheered on by cousin Salma Hayek.

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