When I watched Pedro Pichardo jump 18.04 meters last summer at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, I thought for sure it would be the farthest jump I would ever see in person. But less than 10 minutes later, Jordan Diaz faulted another jump past the 18-meter mark, and in round five, soared to the third-longest jump in history with a mark of 18.18 meters.
Thirty years is a long time. But that’s how long Jonathan Edwards’s triple jump record of 18.29 meters has lasted. Even Edwards himself is on the record as saying, “I didn’t think it would last this long.”
I’m sorry, Jonathan Edwards—you’ve had a good run—but it’s time to hand over the title of world record holder to somebody else.
Who Will It Be?
Like Babe Ruth pointing to deep center field, I’m calling my shot. The triple jump world record will fall this September in Tokyo, and the winning jump will be over 18.40m.
But who will it be?
I would put money on Jordan Diaz. After seeing him jump 18.18 meters in person and faulting another jump likely over 18 meters on the same day, I entirely believe that we haven’t seen the best out of him yet. True, it’s hard to replicate perfect conditions twice, but he only recently turned 24, is coming off his best season yet, and seems to only be entering his peak window of performance.
Event Becoming More Competitive
Over the past several years, we’ve seen several men get close to Edwards’ long-standing mark, and it seems that the 20-year lull we saw in the event is finally over. From 1995–1998, only two jumpers recorded a jump over 18.00 meters, including Edwards twice. It would take until Teddy Tamgho’s 18.04-meter jump in 2013 to see this barrier broken again.
Other Record Candidates
Since then, both Christian Taylor and Will Claye have come within 15 centimeters of the record with marks of 18.21 meters and 18.14 meters, respectively. Taylor has retired, and Claye seems to be in the twilight of his career.
Pichado has been over the 18 mark three times in his career, including at the European Championships last summer. Despite being 31, he seems like he may still be at the tail end of his peak and may make one more attempt at the record this summer.
Fabrice Zango went 18.07 meters indoors, which would adjust to 18.19 meters with a perfect 2.0m/s wind. However, he’s now four years removed from this mark and has said that he plans to retire after this season. If it wasn’t for injuries, perhaps it would have been Zango’s coach, Teddy Tamgho, that we would be calling the world record holder.
Jaydon Hibbert has emerged as a legitimate contender, and in my opinion, has the second-best odds of breaking Edward’s record. He jumped 17.87m as a junior and still has room for technical improvements. Junior success doesn’t always translate to success at the senior level, but still, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to think that if he continues to mature as an athlete we could see another half a meter out of him if he can stay healthy.
If I’m Completely Honest
If I’m completely honest with you, part of me doesn’t want to see Edward’s record broken. My first exposure to the triple jump was in middle school, watching a VHS tape in gym class of Edwards, Phillips Idowu, Nelson Evora, and the other top jumpers of the early 2000s bicycling their legs through the air.
In a world that seems to constantly be shifting under our feet, being able to look at the record book and put a finger on Edwards’ name gives a sense of stability. Even when somebody does eventually break it, I will never be able to consider anybody but Edwards the greatest triple jumper of all time since he held the title through my formative years. With the caveat that I wouldn’t blame you if you consider Christian Taylor the greatest of all time due to his consistency in championship meets.
It’s rather remarkable that with all the improvements in track surfaces and spikes in the past 30 years that nobody has been able to break Edwards’ mark—which also begs the question of how far would he have been able to jump on one of the elevated runways like we saw last year at the Euros?
The women’s triple jump record was also set in 1995, but Yulimar Rojas managed to shatter it by 24 centimeters at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest. It’s only fitting that the men’s record set in the same year should be broken at the World Championship this year.
