# Long jump at the Olympics

The long jump at the Summer Olympics, is grouped among the four track and field jumping events held at the multi-sport event. The men's long jump has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first Summer Olympics in 1896. The women's long jump was introduced over fifty years later in 1948, and was the second Olympic jumping event for women after the high jump, which was added in 1928.
The Olympic records for the event are 8.90 m (29 ft 2+1⁄4 in) for men, set by Bob Beamon in 1968, and 7.40 m (24 ft 3+1⁄4 in) for women, set by Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988. Beamon's mark is the longest-standing Olympic athletics record by a margin of twelve years, which was the only time a man has set a long jump world record at the competition. The women's world record has been broken on two occasions at the Olympics, with Mary Rand jumping 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) in 1964 and Viorica Viscopoleanu clearing 6.82 m (22 ft 4+1⁄2 in) in 1968. In 1956, Elżbieta Krzesińska jumped 6.35 m (20 ft 10 in) to equal her own world record.
Ellery Clark and Olga Gyarmati were the first men's and women's Olympic long jump champions. Miltiadis Tentoglou and Malaika Mihambo are the reigning Olympic champions from 2020. Carl Lewis is the event's most successful athlete as he was Olympic champion four times consecutively from 1984 to 1996. Heike Drechsler is the only woman to win two Olympic long jump titles. Ralph Boston and Jackie Joyner-Kersee are the only other two athletes to win three Olympic long jump medals in their careers. The United States is the most successful nation in the event.
A standing long jump variant of the event was contested from 1900 to 1912 and standing jumps specialist Ray Ewry won all but one of the gold medals in its brief history.

## Medalists
### Men

| Games | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 1896 Athens details | Ellery Clark United States | 6.35 m | Robert Garrett United States | 6.18 m | James Brendan Connolly United States | 6.11 m |
| 1900 Paris details | Alvin Kraenzlein United States | 7.185 m | Myer Prinstein United States | 7.175 m | Patrick Leahy Great Britain | 6.95 m |
| 1904 St. Louis details | Myer Prinstein United States | 7.34 m | Daniel Frank United States | 6.89 m | Robert Stangland United States | 6.88 m |
| 1908 London details | Frank Irons United States | 7.48 m | Daniel Kelly United States | 7.09 m | Calvin Bricker Canada | 7.08 m |
| 1912 Stockholm details | Albert Gutterson United States | 7.60 m | Calvin Bricker Canada | 7.21 m | Georg Åberg Sweden | 7.18 m |
| 1920 Antwerp details | William Petersson Sweden | 7.15 m | Carl Johnson United States | 7.095 m | Erik Abrahamsson Sweden | 7.08 m |
| 1924 Paris details | DeHart Hubbard United States | 7.445 m | Edward Gourdin United States | 7.275 m | Sverre Hansen Norway | 7.26 m |
| 1928 Amsterdam details | Ed Hamm United States | 7.73 m | Silvio Cator Haiti | 7.58 m | Al Bates United States | 7.40 m |
| 1932 Los Angeles details | Ed Gordon United States | 7.64 m | Lambert Redd United States | 7.60 m | Chūhei Nambu Japan | 7.45 m |
| 1936 Berlin details | Jesse Owens United States | 8.06 m | Luz Long Germany | 7.87 m | Naoto Tajima Japan | 7.74 m |
| 1948 London details | Willie Steele United States | 7.82 m | Bill Bruce Australia | 7.55 m | Herb Douglas United States | 7.54 m |
| 1952 Helsinki details | Jerome Biffle United States | 7.57 m | Meredith Gourdine United States | 7.53 m | Ödön Földessy Hungary | 7.30 m |
| 1956 Melbourne details | Gregory Bell United States | 7.83 m | John Bennett United States | 7.68 m | Jorma Valkama Finland | 7.48 m |
| 1960 Rome details | Ralph Boston United States | 8.12 m | Bo Roberson United States | 8.11 m | Igor Ter-Ovanesyan Soviet Union | 8.04 m |
| 1964 Tokyo details | Lynn Davies Great Britain | 8.07 m | Ralph Boston United States | 8.03 m | Igor Ter-Ovanesyan Soviet Union | 7.99 m |
| 1968 Mexico City details | Bob Beamon United States | 8.90 m | Klaus Beer East Germany | 8.19 m | Ralph Boston United States | 8.16 m |
| 1972 Munich details | Randy Williams United States | 8.24 m | Hans Baumgartner West Germany | 8.18 m | Arnie Robinson United States | 8.03 m |
| 1976 Montreal details | Arnie Robinson United States | 8.35 m | Randy Williams United States | 8.11 m | Frank Wartenberg East Germany | 8.02 m |
| 1980 Moscow details | Lutz Dombrowski East Germany | 8.54 m | Frank Paschek East Germany | 8.21 m | Valeriy Pidluzhnyy Soviet Union | 8.18 m |
| 1984 Los Angeles details | Carl Lewis United States | 8.54 m | Gary Honey Australia | 8.24 m | Giovanni Evangelisti Italy | 8.24 m |
| 1988 Seoul details | Carl Lewis United States | 8.72 m | Mike Powell United States | 8.49 m | Larry Myricks United States | 8.27 m |
| 1992 Barcelona details | Carl Lewis United States | 8.67 m | Mike Powell United States | 8.64 m | Joe Greene United States | 8.34 m |
| 1996 Atlanta details | Carl Lewis United States | 8.50 m | James Beckford Jamaica | 8.29 m | Joe Greene United States | 8.24 m |
| 2000 Sydney details | Iván Pedroso Cuba | 8.55 m | Jai Taurima Australia | 8.49 m | Roman Shchurenko Ukraine | 8.31 m |
| 2004 Athens details | Dwight Phillips United States | 8.59 m | John Moffitt United States | 8.47 m | Joan Lino Martínez Spain | 8.32 m |
| 2008 Beijing details | Irving Saladino Panama | 8.34 m | Godfrey Khotso Mokoena South Africa | 8.24 m | Ibrahim Camejo Cuba | 8.20 m |
| 2012 London details | Greg Rutherford Great Britain | 8.31 m | Mitchell Watt Australia | 8.16 m | Will Claye United States | 8.12 m |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro details | Jeff Henderson United States | 8.38 m | Luvo Manyonga South Africa | 8.37 m | Greg Rutherford Great Britain | 8.29 m |
| 2020 Tokyo details | Miltiadis Tentoglou Greece | 8.41 m | Juan Miguel Echevarría Cuba | 8.41 m | Maykel Massó Cuba | 8.21 m |
| 2024 Paris details | Miltiadis Tentoglou Greece | 8.48 m | Wayne Pinnock Jamaica | 8.36 m | Mattia Furlani Italy | 8.34 m |

#### Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States (USA) | 22 | 15 | 10 | 47 |
| 2 | Great Britain (GBR) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Greece (GRE) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Cuba (CUB) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Sweden (SWE) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Panama (PAN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Australia (AUS) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Germany (GER) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | South Africa (RSA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Haiti (HAI) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 | Japan (JPN) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 17 | Finland (FIN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Hungary (HUN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Norway (NOR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Spain (ESP) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (21 entries) | Totals (21 entries) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 90 |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Carl Lewis | United States (USA) | 1984–1996 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Miltiadis Tentoglou | Greece (GRE) | 2020–2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Ralph Boston | United States (USA) | 1960–1968 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Myer Prinstein | United States (USA) | 1900–1904 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Randy Williams | United States (USA) | 1972–1976 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Arnie Robinson | United States (USA) | 1972–1976 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Greg Rutherford | Great Britain (GBR) | 2012–2016 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Mike Powell | United States (USA) | 1988–1992 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Calvin Bricker | Canada (CAN) | 1908–1912 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Igor Ter-Ovanesyan | Soviet Union (URS) | 1960–1964 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Joe Greene | United States (USA) | 1992–1996 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

### Women

| Games | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 1948 London details | Olga Gyarmati Hungary | 5.695 m | Noemí Simonetto Argentina | 5.60 m | Ann-Britt Leyman Sweden | 5.575 m |
| 1952 Helsinki details | Yvette Williams New Zealand | 6.24 m | Aleksandra Chudina Soviet Union | 6.14 m | Shirley Cawley Great Britain | 5.92 m |
| 1956 Melbourne details | Elżbieta Krzesińska Poland | 6.35 m | Willye White United States | 6.09 m | Nadezhda Khnykina-Dvalishvili Soviet Union | 6.07 m |
| 1960 Rome details | Vera Krepkina Soviet Union | 6.37 m | Elżbieta Krzesińska Poland | 6.27 m | Hildrun Claus United Team of Germany | 6.21 m |
| 1964 Tokyo details | Mary Rand Great Britain | 6.76 m | Irena Kirszenstein Poland | 6.60 m | Tatyana Shchelkanova Soviet Union | 6.42 m |
| 1968 Mexico City details | Viorica Viscopoleanu Romania | 6.82 m | Sheila Sherwood Great Britain | 6.68 m | Tatyana Talysheva Soviet Union | 6.66 m |
| 1972 Munich details | Heide Rosendahl West Germany | 6.78 m | Diana Yorgova Bulgaria | 6.77 m | Eva Šuranová Czechoslovakia | 6.67 m |
| 1976 Montreal details | Angela Voigt East Germany | 6.72 m | Kathy McMillan United States | 6.66 m | Lidiya Alfeyeva Soviet Union | 6.60 m |
| 1980 Moscow details | Tatyana Kolpakova Soviet Union | 7.06 m | Brigitte Wujak East Germany | 7.04 m | Tatyana Skachko Soviet Union | 7.01 m |
| 1984 Los Angeles details | Anișoara Cușmir-Stanciu Romania | 6.96 m | Valy Ionescu Romania | 6.81 m | Sue Hearnshaw Great Britain | 6.80 m |
| 1988 Seoul details | Jackie Joyner-Kersee United States | 7.40 m | Heike Drechsler East Germany | 7.22 m | Galina Chistyakova Soviet Union | 7.11 m |
| 1992 Barcelona details | Heike Drechsler Germany | 7.14 m | Inessa Kravets Unified Team | 7.12 m | Jackie Joyner-Kersee United States | 7.07 m |
| 1996 Atlanta details | Chioma Ajunwa Nigeria | 7.12 m | Fiona May Italy | 7.02 m | Jackie Joyner-Kersee United States | 7.00 m |
| 2000 Sydney details | Heike Drechsler Germany | 6.99 m | Fiona May Italy | 6.92 m | Tatyana Kotova Russia | 6.83 m |
| 2004 Athens details | Tatyana Lebedeva Russia | 7.07 m | Irina Simagina Russia | 7.05 m | Tatyana Kotova Russia | 7.05 m |
| 2008 Beijing details | Maurren Maggi Brazil | 7.04 m | Blessing Okagbare Nigeria | 6.91 m | Chelsea Hammond Jamaica | 6.79 m |
| 2012 London details | Brittney Reese United States | 7.12 m | Elena Sokolova Russia | 7.07 m | Janay DeLoach United States | 6.89 m |
| 2016 Rio de Janeiro details | Tianna Bartoletta United States | 7.17 m | Brittney Reese United States | 7.15 m | Ivana Španović Serbia | 7.08 m |
| 2020 Tokyo details | Malaika Mihambo Germany | 7.00 m | Brittney Reese United States | 6.97 m | Ese Brume Nigeria | 6.97 m |
| 2024 Paris details | Tara Davis-Woodhall United States | 7.10 m | Malaika Mihambo Germany | 6.98 m | Jasmine Moore United States | 6.96 m |

#### Medal table

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | United States (USA) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 2 | Germany (GER) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Soviet Union (URS) | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | Romania (ROU) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | Russia (RUS) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 6 | East Germany (GDR) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Poland (POL) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 9 | Nigeria (NGR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Brazil (BRA) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Hungary (HUN) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | New Zealand (NZL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | Argentina (ARG) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Bulgaria (BUL) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Ukraine (UKR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Czechoslovakia (TCH) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Jamaica (JAM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Serbia (SRB) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Sweden (SWE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (20 entries) | Totals (20 entries) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 60 |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Heike Drechsler | Germany (GER) East Germany (GDR) | 1988–2000 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Brittney Reese | United States (USA) | 2012–2020 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Elżbieta Krzesińska | Poland (POL) | 1956–1960 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Malaika Mihambo | Germany (GER) | 2020–2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | United States (USA) | 1988–1996 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Fiona May | Italy (ITA) | 1996–2000 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Tatyana Kotova | Russia (RUS) | 2000–2004 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

## Standing long jump

From 1900 to 1912 a variation of the event was contested at the Olympics where athletes had to long jump from a standing position. This was one of three standing jumps to have featured on the Olympic programme, alongside the standing high jump (present for the same period) and the standing triple jump (1900 and 1904 only).
The standing jump competitions were dominated by Ray Ewry, who won the Olympic standing long jump titles in 1900, 1904 and 1908. His clearance of 3.47 m (11 ft 4+1⁄2 in) at the 1904 Olympics remained as the Olympic record for the event until its discontinuation in 1912. Ewry took Olympic three gold medals in standing jumps in both 1900 and 1904, then won the standing high and long jumps at the 1908 Olympics, as well as the 1906 Intercalated Games. After Ewry's retirement, Kostas Tsiklitiras became the winner of the final Olympic standing long jump competition in 1912.
The standing long jump—and standing jump events in general—had been a relatively common type of athletics event at the end of the 19th century, but became increasingly rare at top level national and international competitions as the 20th century progressed. The Olympic event remains the only major international competition to have featured the event, except for the first three editions of the Women's World Games in the 1920s, as well as the 1919 and 1920 editions of the South American Championships in Athletics. The standing long jump retained some popularity as a championship event in Scandinavia in the second half of the century.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1900 Paris details | Ray Ewry United States | Irving Baxter United States | Emile Torcheboeuf France |
| 1904 St. Louis details | Ray Ewry United States | Charles King United States | John Biller United States |
| 1908 London details | Ray Ewry United States | Konstantinos Tsiklitiras Greece | Martin Sheridan United States |
| 1912 Stockholm details | Konstantinos Tsiklitiras Greece | Platt Adams United States | Benjamin Adams United States |

## Intercalated Games

The 1906 Intercalated Games were held in Athens and at the time were officially recognised as part of the Olympic Games series, with the intention being to hold a games in Greece in two-year intervals between the internationally held Olympics. However, this plan never came to fruition and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later decided not to recognise these games as part of the official Olympic series. Some sports historians continue to treat the results of these games as part of the Olympic canon.
Continuing its presence since the first Olympics, a men's long jump event was contested at the 1906 Games. The two protagonists were Myer Prinstein (the 1904 champion) and Peter O'Connor (the world record holder). Prinstein won with his opening jump of 7.20 m (23 ft 7+1⁄4 in). O'Connor was runner-up in 7.02 m (23 ft 1⁄4 in) but protested the measuring of Prinstein's mark and the judgement of no-jump rulings against him. Hugo Friend was a comfortable third in 6.96 m (22 ft 10 in).
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1906 Athens details | Myer Prinstein (USA) | Peter O'Connor (GBR) | Hugo Friend (USA) |
The standing long jump variant was also contested at the Intercalated Games. Ray Ewry, who entered as the undefeated Olympic champion in the event, won a further gold medal with his mark of 3.30 m (10 ft 9+3⁄4 in). It was an American podium sweep with Martin Sheridan and Lawson Robertson taking second and third place.
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1906 Athens details | Ray Ewry (USA) | Martin Sheridan (USA) | Lawson Robertson (USA) |

## Non-canonical Olympic events

In addition to the main 1900 Olympic men's long jump, a handicap competition was held four days later. Pál Koppán of Hungary won with a mark of 7.895 m (1.60 m handicap) and John McLean of the United States came second with 7.72 m (85 cm handicap). Sources differ as to whether the third-place finisher William Percy Remington (who was fourth in the main Olympic event) or Thaddeus McClain (seventh in the Olympic long jump).
Two professionals-only contests were held in 1900. Mike Sweeney of the United States won with 5.995 m. Another American, Otto Bruno Schoenfeld, was second in 5.60 m, while Frenchman Jules Bouchoux came third in 5.55 m. A handicap professional contest was also held but the results have not been located.
The handicap event returned at the 1904 Summer Olympics and the three Olympic finalists who failed to win medals comprised the top three – all of them American. Fred Englehardt won with 6.82 m, Gilbert Van Cleve was runner-up with a mark of 6.53 m, and John Hagerman took third, recording 6.53 m. The corresponding handicaps are not known.
These events are no longer considered part of the official Olympic history of the long jump or the athletics programme in general. Consequently, medals from these competitions have not been assigned to nations on the all-time medal tables.