Triple jump The triple jump , sometimes referred to as the hop , step and jump or the hop , skip and jump , is a track and field sport , similar to the long jump . The competitor runs down the track and performs a hop , a bound and then a jump into the sand pit . The triple jump was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games ' inception in 1896 . According to IAAF rules , " the hop shall be made so that an athlete lands first on the same foot as that from which he has taken off ; in the step he shall land on the other foot , from which , subsequently , the jump is performed . " The current male and female world record holders are Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain , with a jump of , and Inessa Kravets of Ukraine , with a jump of . Both records were set during 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg . History . Historical sources on the ancient Olympic Games occasionally mention jumps of 15 meters or more . This led sports historians to conclude that these must have been a series of jumps , thus providing the basis for the triple jump . However , there is no evidence for the triple jump being included in the ancient Olympic Games , and it is possible that the recorded extraordinary distances are due to artistic license of the authors of victory poems , rather than attempts to report accurate results . The triple jump was a part of the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens , although at the time it consisted of two hops on the same foot and then a jump . In fact , the first modern Olympic champion , James Connolly , was a triple jumper . Early Olympics also included the standing triple jump , although this has since been removed from the Olympic program and is rarely performed in competition today . The women ' s triple jump was introduced into the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 . In Irish mythology the geal - ruith ( triple jump ) , was an event contested in the ancient Irish Tailteann Games as early as 1829 BC . Technique . The athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark , from which the triple jump is measured . The takeoff mark is commonly a physical piece of wood or similar material embedded in the runway , or a rectangle painted on the runway surface . In modern championships a strip of plasticine , tape , or modeling clay is attached to the far edge of the board to record athletes overstepping or " scratching " the mark , defined by the trailing edge of the board . There are three phases of the triple jump : the " hop " phase , the " bound " or " step " phase , and the " jump " phase . These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence . The hop starts with the athlete jumping from the take off board on one leg , which for descriptive purposes will be the right leg . The objective of the first phase is to hop " out " , focusing all momentum forward . The hop landing phase is very active , involving a powerful backward " pawing " action of the right leg , with the right take - off foot landing heel first on the runway . The hop landing also marks the beginning of the step phase , where the athlete utilises the backward momentum of the right leg to immediately execute a powerful jump forwards and upwards , the left leg assisting the take - off with a powerful hip flexion thrust . This leads to the familiar step - phase mid - air position , with the right take off leg trailing flexed at the knee , and the left leg now leading flexed at the hip and knee . The jumper then holds this position for as long as possible , before extending the knee of the leading left leg and then immediately beginning a powerful backward motion of the whole left leg , again landing on the runway with a powerful pawing action . The step landing forms the beginning of the take - off of the final phase ( the jump ) , where the athlete utilises the backward force from the left leg to take off again . The jump phase is very similar to the long jump although most athletes have lost too much speed by this time to manage a full hitch kick , and most use a hang or sail technique . When landing in the sand - filled pit , the jumper should aim to avoid sitting back on landing , or placing either hand behind the feet . The sand pit usually begins 13m from the take off board for male international competition , or 11m from the board for international female and club - level male competition . Each phase of the triple jump should get progressively higher , and there should be a regular rhythm to the 3 landings . A " foul " , also known as a " scratch , " or missed jump , occurs when a jumper oversteps the takeoff mark , misses the pit entirely , does not use the correct foot sequence throughout the phases , or does not perform the attempt in the allotted amount of time ( usually about 90 seconds ) . When a jumper " scratches , " the seated official will raise a red flag and the jumper who was " on deck , " or up next , prepares to jump . Records . Outdoor . " Note : As in all track - and - field events , results cannot count towards records if they are Wind assisted ( > 2 . 0 m / s ) . "