The long jump is one of the more iconic Olympic events, but World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon recently suggested a potential rule change for the event. During an appearance on the "Anything But Footy" podcast, Ridgeon proposed a rule that would eliminate foul jumps by replacing the traditional take-off board with a take-off "zone."
Participants are currently measured from the board to where they end up landing in the pit. If they pass that board, then the jump doesn't count.
"We'll spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes," Ridgeon said. "If it doesn't pass testing, we'll never introduce it," Ridgeon said. "But at the same time, we are trying to work out ways of getting instant results so that you don't have to wait 20 or 30 seconds before the result pops up, and how we speed up the whole thing."
According to Yahoo Sports, the concept likely would only be tested during minor meets, so that it doesn't impact any competitions that are preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When it comes the proposed rule change, it's fair to say that nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lews is not a fan.
"You're supposed to wait until April 1st for April Fools [sic] jokes," Lewis wrote in a post on X.
"I guess it supports what I've been saying, that the long jump is the most difficult event in track and field," Lewis later wrote. "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."
"The new board idea will not work and will not improve distances," he added on Wednesday. "Every person who has ever jumped over 29 feet is still alive. Maybe you should start asking them how they did it and stop trying to do everything else."
Lewis certainly is an experienced competitor when it comes to the long jump. He won a gold medal in the event in four consecutive Olympic Games, including in 1991 when he recorded a record jump of 8.87 meters.
