Carl Lewis derides plans to eradicate long jump fouls as early 'April Fools joke'

[muriel_volestrangler]

The World Athletics chief executive, Jon Ridgeon, confirmed on Monday that the governing body would be trialling a new “take-off zone” from which competitors can leap into the pit instead of the usual fixed wooden board. Ridgeon said the proposal would virtually eliminate the possibility of a foul – as athletes would be measured from where they began their jump rather than from the board.

“At the world championships in Budapest last summer, a third of all the jumps were no-jumps, athletes stepping over the front of the take-off board,” Ridgeon said on the Anything But Footy podcast. “That doesn’t work, that’s a waste of time. So we’re testing, for example, a take-off zone rather than a take-off board, so we measure from where the athlete takes off to where they land in the pit. That means every single jump counts, it adds to the jeopardy of the competition, the drama of the competition.”

World Athletics says it is also working on ensuring the new rules would not cause delays. “We will spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes,” added Ridgeon. “If it doesn’t pass testing, we will never introduce it. This is not about next year, but making sure we have got a sport that is fit for purpose for another 150 years.”

However Lewis, who won long jump gold at four consecutive Olympic Games and whose 8.87 metres in 1991 remains third on the world all-time list, delivered a damning verdict of the proposals. “You’re supposed to wait until April 1st for April Fools jokes,” Lewis said on social media platform X. “I guess it supports what I’ve been saying, that the long is the most difficult event in track and field. That would just eliminate the most difficult skill from the event. Just make the basket larger for free throws because so many people miss them.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/20/carl-lewis-derides-plans-to-eradicate-long-jump-fouls-as-early-april-fools-joke

I think Lewis has a point - you certainly couldn't compare records set in the old way with this new one. Making your steps match the take-off point is a skill, just like high-jumpers or pole-vaulters have to match the top of their arc to the bar, not in front or behind it (you could, if you wanted, just use cameras to work out the highest line a jumper/vaulter went over, and say "that's the score for them". It'd be a different competition).