British Athletics Official Website | Jonathan Edwards Coach(s): Carl Johnson, Norman Anderson and Peter Stanley. Â Â Decision Time Jonathan Edwards took triple jumping to another level in the summer of 1995, where he established a world record which could last more than one generation. When he leapt 18.29m, he became the first athlete to clear 60ft for this event and since then only other athlete, American Kenny Harrison, has cleared the 18m-barrier - and he did that to beat Edwards to Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996. Edwards achieved his success in a career where this vicarâs son, as a committed Christian,Â at first heÂ chose not to compete on Sundays, passing the chance of taking part in the World Championships in 1991. But by Stuttgart in 1993, he had changed his mind, which proved a fortunate decision because the qualifying round of the triple jump at the World Championships was on a Sunday.

He progressed safely to the final, where he took the bronze medal and it proved the foundation to greatness.Â Â Itâs Longâ¦Itâs Very Long Edwards had first jumped 16m in 1986 and progressed rapidly to become the best triple jumper in Britain by 1989, when he burst into world class and was third at the World Cup with 17.28m. In 1990 his form was affected by an injured right ankle, but he won the Commonwealth silver medal, a feat he repeated in 1994. He won the World Cup in 1992, but the sensational part of his amazing 1995 was the fact it was so unexpected. Â The previous summer he had finished sixth at the European Championships in Helsinki before winning silver at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, solid-enough performances but nothing to say that 12 months later he would become untouchable. Edwards had fabulous speed on the runway.

It is believed he was even quicker than Linford Christie, Britainâs 1992 Olympic 100m champion, over 20m - and combining that with his slick hop, skipping and jumping, it became an unbeatable package. He had started the outdoor season with a British record 17.58m, having achieved a wind-assisted best of 17.70m in 1993. But it was at the European Cup in Lille, ironically on a Sunday, that Britain realised it had a phenomenon on its hands. His series was 17.90m(w), an amazing 18.43m(w,+2.4), 17.72m with a legal wind to add 14 cm to his British record, and 18.39m(w,+3.7). The previous longest ever jump was 18.20 m (w,+5.2) by American Willie Banks at Indianapolis in 1988 who also held the world record of 17.97m.

Â His best of 18.43m (w) was comprised ofÂ a 6.50m hop, a 5.60m step and a 6.33m jump and the world record was not too far away. It came at Salamanca, Spain, when he jumped 17.98m, before the World Championships in Gothenburg became his finest hour. Edwards was at his peak. His speed was remarkable on that afternoon in Sweden and his first jump blew away the rest of the competition. He jumped 18.16m, smashing his world record, and then in the second round, he went even further, clearing 18.29m. He had recorded the first legal 18m and 60ft jumps with legal wind and ended the year unbeaten in 14 competitions. He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the LâEquipe International Champion of ChampionsÂ and he wasÂ the IAAF Male Athlete of 1995.

But often he recalled how his âfameâ hit him most when he was shopping at the Metro Centre near his home in Gateshead, when suddenly he was mobbed by people who just wanted to congratulate him.Â Â Olympics Here We Come One of the difficulties Edwards faced was the level of expectation and while he entered the Olympic Games in Atlanta as favourite, it was not to be. It was there that his run of 22 successive wins was ended by Harrison, whose 18.09m beat Edwards into silver by 21 centimetres. He remained optimistic that he would be still be around at this level for Sydney four years later, but before that he had to battle through some of the most traumatic times of his career. In 1997, the defence of his world title in Athens saw him finish second before he had keyhole surgery on his left ankle at the end of the 1998 season, forcing him to miss the Commonwealth Games, though he had finally lifted the European title in Budapest.

He won nine of his 12 competitions in 1999, although he was left disappointed by finishing third at the World Championships in Seville, an event which ended with him and wife Alison cuddling by the trackside, during a difficult time for their family because of his mother-in-law being ill. In 2000, he was the World No 1 again, but days before the Games were about to start, his mother-in-law died. Edwards contemplated returning home. He was told to stay, andÂ fuelled upÂ with even more emotion and dedication to the cause, he won the gold medal. His moment arrived in the third round, with a jump of 17.71m, the best in the world and further proof of the way he had shown how mentally he could climb through the barrier of not winning a global title since 1995.He was back, and though he had to settle for silver at the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon with 17.26m as Paolo Camossi won with 17.32m, outdoors he reigned supreme again.

After securing a place in the World championship final in Edmonton with the last of his three jumps in qualifying, he then leapt 17.92m to become only the second Briton to regain a world title (Colin Jackson in 1999 was the other).Â Â Manchester Calling The main gold medal to elude Edwards was the Commonwealth Games title, but he put that right on a Sunday evening in Manchester in 2002. Londoner Phillips Idowu had been fast progressing as the man who one day would succeed him as British No 1 and here he led the competition with 17.68m. Edwards took to the runway, looked around, knew his time had come again and in the third round set a world-leading mark of 17.86m to complete the set of the four majors. Christian Olsson, of Sweden, who had sat in the stand in his home city of Gothenburg in 1995 watching Edwardsâ exploits, was the new kid on the block and he won the European title in Munich in 17.53m as the British star finished third with 17.32m.

In 2003,Â Edwards made a late start to his outdoor campaign, but then produced an amazing 17.61m, his best ever seasonâs opener, in the Gateshead with an even bigger no jump in the third round in the competition won by Olsson with 17.92m (w).Â He was third at Stockholm with 17.14m and at the London Grand Prix with 17.19m, yet in the latter he sustained an ankle injury and was carried off. A scan showed no break and he was able to compete at the World Championships in Paris, qualifying with 16.94m, but he took only two jumps in the final, thus ending his wonderful career in anti-climatic fashion, last with 16.31m. He has moved into television, as an athletics commentator on the BBC and as the presenter of the Sunday evening religious show Songs Of Praise. He received an MBE in 1995 and CBE in 2000, but still there is no sign of his world record being eclipsed.

Â International Championships at triple jump 1987: 9th World University Games 1988: dnq 23rd Olympics Jonathan Edwards CBE - MTC Jonathan Edwards CBE Born: London, UK Lives: Newcastle, UK Jonathan made the record books in 1995, when he broke the triple jump World Record at the World Championships in Gothenburg, with an amazing jump of 18.29m. To date, no one has even come close to this distance (now 20 years later). Since retiring in 2003, Jonathan has been a key member of the BBC Sports team lead, presenting all the major athletics events, including: the Olympics in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008; the Canoe Slalom; and Athletics morning sessions of London 2012, live from the stadium, and joined the commentary team for the evening sessions. Jonathan also presented the morning programme of the London Paralympic Games, for Channel 4, and hosted the inaugural Invictus Games for the BBC.

Since 2013, Jonathan’s presenting responsibilities have extended further; anchoring the BBC’s broadcast of the Prudential Ride London; the London Marathon, his first Cycling World Championship; and the morning sessions at the athletics World Championships. 2014 saw Jonathan anchor some of the main sporting events of the year, being a valued part of both C4′s coverage of the Winter Paralympics, the BBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, and the Commonwealth Games. In February 2016, it was announced that Jonathan signed an exclusive deal with Eurosport to be their lead presenter fronting flagship sports programming including the Olympics. He will move exclusively to Eurosport from 1st January 2017. He was a key member of the London 2012 bid team, a board member of LOCOG, and his status within World Athletics saw him invited by the IOC to Buenos Aires, to officially present the announcement of the 2020 Olympic Games, where Tokyo was named as the winning city. Jonathan is an accomplished, eloquent public speaker, and particularly relishes facilitator and hosting roles.

He has undertaken events for some of the best known blue chip companies such as: Lloyds, BP, Adidas, Coca–Cola, Deloitte and Panasonic. BBC News | World Athletics | British hopes flying high Friday, August 20, 1999 Published at 17:41 GMT 18:41 UK British hopes flying high Britain have ten gold medal prospects but will be glad to win two Britain's best will be out to finally end a four-year gold medal drought at the World Championships begin in the scorching heat of Seville. Not since Jonathan Edwards took triple jumping into a new era with his double record-breaking leaps at the 1995 world championships in Sweden, has a British athlete struck gold in a senior global event. But Edwards will be among a handful of hopefuls looking to end that sorry tale during the eight-day championships. Expectations are high after last year's European Championships in Budapest when Britain's athletes swept to nine gold medals in an extraordinary six days of action. But competition will be far more intense in Seville, where nearly 2,000 of the world's best athletes from more than 200 nations are competing for gold.

BBC News Online identifies the 10 Britons most likely to star in Seville. Jonathan Edwards (Triple Jump) Edwards' historic leap at the World Championships in Gothenburg in 1995 was the last time a British athlete struck gold at a major global event. The Gateshead Harrier became the first man to legally break 18 metres in Sweden, but his long unbeaten record ended at the Olympics the following year. At the last worlds in Athens two years ago Edwards had to settle for silver. But Edwards is back on top of the world this year with a 1999 best of 17.71m. Denise Lewis (Heptathlon) Lewis was ranked number one in the world last year following victories in the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. Having won bronze at the 1996 Olympics and silver in the worlds the following year, Lewis looks set to finally take global gold in the heptathlon. Has not competed in a multi-event competition this year following a calf injury. But she showed she was on top form by taking part in four events at the trials in Birmingham.

Colin Jackson (110m Hurdles) Jackson is described by team chief Max Jones as the most professional athlete in Britain. He will be competing in his fifth world championships, having taken bronze in Rome when a 20-year-old way back in 1987. The Welshman's crowning glory came in Stuttgart in 1993 when he bagged the world title and 110m hurdles record of 12.91secs which still stands today. He shrugged off two years of injuries to win silver in Athens and consistent performances this summer could be the key to him regaining the world title. Paula Radcliffe (10,000m) If the committed Bedford runner is ever to shed her image as the nearly-woman of British athletics then now is the time. A string of fourth and fifth places at world, Olympic and European level have been followed by a massive improvement in form from a competitor fiercely opposed to drugs in sport. The British record-breaker has called for blood tests similar to those used in cycling after claiming that distance running is plagued by EPO, the red blood cell-boosting substance.

Chris Rawlinson (400m Hurdles) Just a few days ago it was more a question of Chris who? But that all changed in Zurich last Wednesday when Rawlinson clocked the third-fastest time in the world this year. Championship glory is a real possibility for the peroxide-blonde. The 27-year-old went out in the heats at the last worlds and lacks big-time experience, but he rose to the occasion at the Weltklasse - his first grand prix event. Steve Smith (High Jump) This time last year Smith must have been wondering if his high-jumping days were over following his horrific neck injury in training. Instead, he is close to completing one of the greatest comebacks in history. Smith announced his return to the top with a clearance of 2.36m in Gateshead last month which was not only the best by a British athlete for six years but the highest in the world this year.

Mark Richardson (400m) Jonathan Edwards Bio, Stats, and Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Silver (2 Total) Biography The son of a Church of England vicar, Jonathan Edwards was originally equally famous for his refusal to compete on a Sunday for religious reasons as for his prowess in the triple jump. His career before 1995 was not unsuccessful as Edwards had won the World Cup in 1989, a Commonwealth Games silver medal in 1990 and, after reversing his decision on Sunday competition, a bronze medal at the 1993 World Championships, but it paled in comparison to what happened in 1995. He had shown early season form by breaking the national record but that didn't prepare anyone for what was to occur next. At the European Cup in France Edwards produced the two longest, albeit wind-assisted, leaps in history and jumped nearly a quarter-metre further than any previous jump and 46 cm more than the official world record. Over the next few weeks he broke or equaled the British record four times then put a centimeter on [Willie Banks]' world record at a meeting in Spain.

At the Worlds in Stockholm his first leap was 18.16 m which marked the first legal 18 m jump and later in the competition he broke the world record again with 18.29 metres, the first ever mark beyond the Imperial barrier of 60 feet, and at the end of 2011 this world record has stood for 16 years, and remains the only jump ever over 60 feet. As world champion Edwards was now hot favourite for the 1996 Olympic title but in Atlanta his position as world #1 was usurped by American [Kenny Harrison] who chose the Olympic Final to became the second man to better 18 metres. Between the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics he maintained his position as one of the world's jumpers and won a silver and a bronze at the two World Championships in this period and was also European Champion in 1998. Edwards finally became Olympic champion in the fourth appearance at the Games in 2000. While his jumps at Sydney did not approach those at Stockholm or Atlanta he was a clear winner of the event.

He regained the world title in 2001 then won his first Commonwealth Games gold medal, at the age of 36, in 2002 but could only finish third at that year's European Championships. He was expected to compete at a fifth Olympics in 2004 but elected to retire after a poor performance at the 2003 World Championships. Edwards joined the BBC as a member of its' athletics presentation team also fronted some of the company's religious broadcasting. In 2007 he stood down from his role on the TV programme "Songs of Praise" due to what was described as a "crisis of faith" although he continued in his role as a track and field commentator. A graduate in physics from Durham University, Edwards vas voted Britain's Sports Personality of the Year, L'Équipe's International Champion of Champions and the UPI Athlete of the Year in 1995. Personal Best: TJ – 18.29 (1995).

Results Jonathan Edwards reveals that he no longer believes in God | Daily Mail Online 'I've lost my faith but I'm happy': Jonathan Edwards reveals that he no longer believes in God Edwards was once so guided by his faith he wouldn't compete on a Sunday Former Olympic champion still holds the triple jump world record A vicar's son, he quit as presenter of Songs of Praise in 2007 and revealed he was in personal turmoil after losing his faith Now, he has said: 'I don’t miss my faith. In many ways I feel more settled and happier in myself without it' Edwards won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney after missing out and winning silver in 1996 Small Talk interview with Jonathan Edwards | Sport | The Guardian Close Morning Jonathan, how are things? Very well thanks, Small Talk. You? Not bad at all. With the Olympics fast approaching, the drugs issue will soon be rearing its ugly head. When you competed, did you ever think: that guy is definitely jacked on steroids? There was always gossip going around but nobody really knew. There was only ever one athlete ever told me they took drugs and he was from the former Soviet Union. Were you ever offered them yourself?

Perhaps I was a bit naive, but I never came across drugs and I was never offered them either. I do sometimes think there is a very wrong perception that athletics is a sport riddled with drugs, and if you go down to your local athletics club the next thing they will do is take you into the pill room. It's not like that at all. As Small Talk knows all too well. As an athlete you travelled the world, staying in fine hotels and jetting from one city to the next. Was it as glamorous as it sounds? Not really. When you're competing at a one-day meet, you arrive the day before, probably late afternoon, get checked in, have a meal and maybe chat with some friends and go to bed. You spend the next day doing nothing before competing in the evening, and the morning after it's the first flight out home. So you never arrived with a Lonely Planet in tow? There wasn't really much time to see anything. Olympics and world championships are a bit different but normally I'd go home immediately after I'd competed because I had a young family and didn't want to leave them for too long. It sounds a very monastic life.

You never filled your bath with champagne to celebrate one of your many gold medals? Being an athlete is monastic. It's like being devoted to God; it's a single-minded devotion. At the time, I never saw my life as monastic, I just recognised that it was what I needed to do to be successful - sitting in a bath drinking champagne wasn't the priority because that wasn't going to get me to be the best in the world. Do people have any idea how hard you had to train to reach the Olympics? Absolutely not. Take footballers - they play one or two games a week and train for an hour in the morning and then go off to play golf and bet on the horses. Yes, that's a slight generalisation but there isn't the same commitment and dedication that you get from most athletes in Olympic sports. But surely now you've retired do you enjoy the odd glass of bubbly? Of course. If I get the opportunity to drink champagne I will do it any time. Cristal? I'm more into Dom Pérignon. You shocked pretty much everyone by revealing that you had lost your Christian faith last year. How did your Christian friends take your defection?

Some people are very fundamental in their beliefs and just think I am wrong and we've drifted apart. I accept that because I probably had a similar evaluation of people in the past. Others have been very supportive. But there's been no great trauma. If there's no heaven, what happens when you die? I don't like the idea that that's it, but I think it probably is. The idea of a soul or a spirit that lives on is very appealing, and it seems very sad and almost wrong that it should cease to exist, but I think that when you die, you probably die. Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens? I read the Blind Watchmaker which I thought was fine but I haven't yet replaced my Christianity with another philosophy, I wouldn't say I am an arch-Darwinist in any way. To be honest, I don't understand the great questions about creation, I find it all a bit bamboozling. The Passion of Christ or Jesus Christ Superstar? To be honest with you, I haven't seen either of them. When you trained you were known for lifting huge weights. How much can you squat? I never used to squat. But I was very good at lifting and especially the clean and jerk.

I could clean double my bodyweight; my best was 150kg at 75kg bodyweight. Bloody hell! So what's the secret then? Protein powder? Creatine? Popeye's special spinach? I think it was just the muscles I was born with. I had a pretty decent diet but it wasn't very complicated. I tried a few funny diets in my career and none of them made any difference at all. Atkins or the cabbage soup? The one I particular remember involved not eating any potatoes, cereals or rice and getting your carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables. I didn't work: I had no energy. On to the important questions. What's your favourite CD? At the moment it would be Under The Iron Sea by Keane. I like many different types of music; I could listen to Westlife's greatest hits and be as content as I would be listening to classical music. I like a good tune. What's your favourite film or DVD? That's easy. The Matrix. But parts two and three were rubbish, weren't they? Yes they were Small Talk, but there's no other experience like the original Matrix. The special effects are incredible. Cheese or chocolate? Definitely chocolate.

Lindt milk chocolate, if you please. And your favourite meal. Small Talk is paying ... For starter I would have duck. For the main course I have to go with steak - a nice fillet steak, medium rare, with fries. And for pudding? A crème brûlée. You had a holiday job in a bakery when you were a lad. What's the secret to making a good loaf? Good research! [sounds genuinely impressed]. Sadly they never really taught me. I just ran around taking things out of ovens. Saying that, in my last year I had a delivery round so I would pack up all the orders and then take them round on a lovely run [mentions several villages]. It was great. The only problem was the early mornings, I had to be up by 5am for the whole summer, then again I was finished by 11am [sighs wistfully]. Happy days. Some people think National Lottery money has made our athletes soft. Did working in a bakery keep you grounded? To start with I was certainly given very little.

When I first moved to Newcastle to train I had a full-time job in a hospital, which I applied for through the local newspaper and then I would train in the evening. I would get home and have to cook myself a meal. I had no family around either. So I suppose I did learn that I had to fight for something - nowadays many think it's their right to be supported. Finally, what does it feel like when you absolutely nail a triple jump? Almost like a dance. Cha-cha or waltz? It's more a rhythmic thing, from hop to step then jump. The best feeling is the bit in the middle when you get the transmission from the hop to the step just right. You feel like you're flying. Jonathan Edwards has just taken part in The Volkswagen Touareg King of Cowes which has been created to find the champion of champions at Skandia Cowes Week 2008. The Volkswagen Touareg 4x4 is the Official Vehicle Sponsor of Skandia Cowes Week 2008 and its driving capabilities make it the ideal partner for the event. Visit and for more info.

Interview: Jonathan Edwards, record-holding athlete - The Scotsman Interview: Jonathan Edwards, record-holding athlete 16:55 Friday 01 April 2011 02:08 Saturday 02 April 2011 EIGHT years since he last leapt into a sandpit in anger, Jonathan Edwards remains one of the most high-profile athletes in the country. He commentates on track and field as part of the BBC's team, he chairs the athletes' commission for next year's Olympic Games, and he sits on the board of the London Organising Committee. Then there is his role as an Olympic ambassador for the Lloyds Banking Group, which this week saw him in Glasgow to help launch the Bank of Scotland Local Heroes programme, a scheme which helps fund more than 80 of the country's brightest prospects. And, as the world record holder for the triple jump - a status he has enjoyed since 1995 - the 44-year-old continues to command respect throughout the sporting world. Yet, while he has not exactly faded away into anonymity, Edwards today is not as widely known as he was a few years ago, when he was presenting Songs Of Praise.

The BBC's long-running Christian worship show introduced the athlete to a new audience of millions, and for a time promised to be his launchpad into a mainstream television career. He was confident and personable, and, having been brought up as a Christian, was as conversant with his religious subject matter as he was with sporting themes. The rest of his working life was mapped out in front of him, a long and secure journey in the faith which had sustained him all his days. Then, in early 2007, he called a halt. He had lost his faith, and so would have to give up his burgeoning new career. There was an abrupt honesty about Edwards' decision which might even have seemed precipitate. He could have gone through the motions for a while, paying lip service to the religious beliefs with which he grew up, or waiting for his faith to return. But he didn't, and four years on he has no regrets. "I lost my faith and it would have been wrong for me to carry on doing it," he said at Scotstoun Stadium on Tuesday during a break in the Local Heroes induction day. "I felt uncomfortable being in that position.

"From where I had been as a very committed Christian to where I was with no faith - to stand there and present a Christian programme, I didn't think was right." And he had lost his faith, all right, not merely mislaid it. As an intelligent and non-dogmatic thinker, he accepts it is impossible to prove the non-existence of God, but for practical purposes he lives his life on the presumption that there is no higher authority. "I think I would describe myself as probably agnostic, but practically an atheist," he explained. "I don't live my life in as if there is a God, but would I completely rule out the (possibility]? Can you? "Everybody has to be an agnostic, I think, in reality. But practically, in terms of day-to-day life, I would be an atheist. I don't feel as if God's there, and He's on hold and I'm going to come back at some point. I'm just living my own life. "I actually don't philosophically believe any more. I don't think there's anything there.

"Now perhaps the fact I used to believe so profoundly, and now I don't, makes you wonder, and you have to be open to the fact that maybe it will come back. But I don't at this moment feel like it's something that I will find again, but who knows what path life will take you down?" Some believers might argue that Edwards embarked on the slippery slope towards atheism the day he decided, after years of refusing to compete on a Sunday, that it was all right to do so. But he sees the two moments in his spiritual life as entirely separate, and is still convinced that it is wholly possible to be an honourable Christian and to work on the Sabbath. In that respect his life has taken the opposite direction to the one travelled by Scotland rugby player Euan Murray, who first became a Christian and only later ruled out working on the Sabbath. Edwards remains respectful of those with religious belief, and feels no need to try to persuade them to give up their faith. But, having engaged in a close study of the Bible before changing his mind on what he should or should not do on a Sunday, what would he say to someone like Murray if they asked him for advice on the issue?

"I think theologically it's absolutely fine," he answered. "That was the kind of process that I went through. My parents believed that it was the Sabbath, it should be kept different and I shouldn't compete in sport. That's what I took on for myself when I left home. "I then re-evaluated it, which you always do, I think, when you move away from your parents' influence. I decided there was nothing wrong with it, and I think actually the New Testament is quite clear: you have a freedom as a Christian to choose to keep one day separate, or to consider every day alike. "I think it's an individual conscience thing. I think you have the freedom to compete on a Sunday, but equally if you would prefer not to… "If your faith is the most important thing to you, and honouring God, then I can understand Euan's decision. I think theologically, though, you do have the freedom to do it. "Now I don't know what his understanding of that is, but that would be the conversation I would have with him. He would have to feel comfortable.

"And even if I believe it's right, or not wrong, to compete on a Sunday, if he thinks it's wrong, then he's not going to compete to his best. He'll feel that he's somehow letting down his faith. "The Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath," he continued, quoting the words of Christ in Mark 2:27. "The Sabbath isn't an end in itself - it's actually there for the benefit of people. "But particularly here in Scotland, and particularly in the Outer Hebrides" - Edwards' wife, Alison, is from Lewis - "the Sabbath is a huge issue. And if you grow up within that culture you also have to think about honouring the people who are close to you. And if that's the tradition that they are involved with, it may be very hard to do something that differs from that." Born in Windsor and now living in Derbyshire, Edwards may seem the quintessential Englishman, but he and his family spend a fair amount of time in Scotland. Should one of his sons' university application be successful, he is sure that time will increase. "He's just applied to study at St Andrews. I love my golf and there's nowhere better than St Andrews.

"Last year I had two of the most glorious rounds there, one on the Jubilee and one on the Old Course. It was still a bit frosty in the morning, and burned off round about 11. "Windless, not a cloud in the sky. You couldn't want to be anywhere else - it was just stunning. So I'm encouraging my son to go to St Andrews, regardless of how good the course is!" Of course, with the build-up to next year's Olympics beginning to gather pace, Edwards is likely to be spending more time in London rather than Fife over the next 16 months or so. He has seen the evidence to persuade him that next year's Great Britain team will be the best prepared ever, but he does not think that will necessarily translate into a gold rush. "Track and field will be tough," he warned. "It is the most competitive Olympic sport, without any question, with 200 nations competing. "Eight medals is what UK Athletics has set as the target, finalists in 50 per cent of the events. I think eight medals will be about as good as it gets. That will be a very successful Games.

We've got the likes of Jess Ennis and Phillips Idowu who you would say were nailed on. After that, there's chances, but they're relatively speculative. "And it's coming off the back of an incredibly successful Games in Beijing [when Britain finished fourth overall in the medal table]. It was almost too good. With 2012 coming up seventh would have been nice, and you could have gone to fifth. "Whereas now, you can't go beyond fourth really. Russia and America and China I think are probably out of sight. Those are the three superpowers. "And then we're the best of the rest. We've got Germany coming up behind, France are looking very good in lots of ways, Australia… So you've got three or four nations there who want to anything they can to knock the Brits off fourth place. "But in a sense it's not about the medal table, it's about having those iconic British moments at regular intervals through the course of the two weeks." The most famous moment of Edwards' career came in 1995, at the world championships in Gothenburg, when he set the record that stands to this day, but he also triumphed at the Olympics five years later.

And it was during those Games in Sydney, while he was midway through the series of jumps which would give him his own gold medal, that he witnessed the moment he regards as the most iconic of all in the modern history of the Games. "The best was Kathy Freeman. I was jumping in the stadium, but I was also spectating her running. Amazing, that sense of national pride and the celebration when she won. So that would probably be my top moment. "From a British point of view, being in the stadium, it would have to be Kelly Holmes. You just never thought that she would be double Olympic champion: you had to pinch yourself. Everything came together perfectly on those three, four, five days. The 1,500 metres she just jogged round at the back. She could have won it any way she chose to. "So to watch, I would probably say Kelly. And then you would have to say Usain Bolt in Beijing. He's beyond words, I think. "I was with Carl Lewis last week and he was a complete legend. I loved watching Carl Lewis, magical.

But I think Bolt eclipses him." One day someone will eclipse Edwards too, and erase his jump of 18 metres and 29 centimetres which is still the longest in history. He had expected it to happen by now, but is in no hurry to lose it. "Every year that goes by and I'm still the world record holder, I sort of feel it's still my property, which is unfortunate, because it's probably more likely to get broken the longer it goes on. It's a lovely feeling to have done something. "I thought I would break it. And if I didn't break it somebody else would break it. I never thought about it lasting a long period of time, and it just has. "It is a nice feeling and I'm not going to deny it. I don't want the day to hasten when somebody breaks it at all." BBC - World Athletics Championships - BBC commentators - Media Centre BBC Radio 5 live Allison Curbishley A former British Olympian, Allison is now a familiar voice for athletics on BBC Radio 5 live.

Allison, a 400 metre runner, competed at the highest level including two Olympic Games (Atlanta and Sydney), World and European Championships and the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Allison remains the Scottish record holder for the women’s 400 metres. Since 2003, Allison has been a key part of the 5 live commentary team, covering three Olympic Games (Athens, Beijing and London), two Paralympic Games (Beijing and London) we well as World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games. Away from her broadcasting career Allison promotes International Netball and works with Sporting Ambassadors; teaming current sporting professionals with schools and community groups to provide positive role models to young people and encouraging participation in sport. Steve Backley OBE Olympic medallist Steve Backley OBE will be a key part of Radio 5 live’s commentary team at London 2012. Steve won Olympic bronze in Barcelona in 1992 before winning silver medals in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney in 2000 in the javelin and as a result is the only British athlete to have medalled at three consecutive Games.

He also won three Commonwealth and four European Championship gold medals between 1990 and 2002. Steve was part of the 5 live commentary team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and London 2012. Mike Costello Mike Costello is one of BBC Radio 5 live's most recognisable voices, having commentated on athletics and boxing for the station since 2006. His passion for both sports has guided listeners through the highs and lows of these much-loved events. Having previously worked for the BBC World Service in a similar role, Mike has covered every World Athletics Championships since Gothenburg in 1995. Mike was a key part of the 5 live sports team for London 2012, having commentated on the previous five. He credits being able to follow the successes of athletes, such as Usain Bolt, as the most uplifting experiences of his broadcasting career so far.

Sonja McLaughlan Broadcasting on the BBC since 1998, Sonja has been part of some of the biggest sporting events in the world, including every Olympic games since Atlanta 1996, the Rugby World Cup, World Championship Athletics, the London Marathon and the University Boat race. Since joining as a trainee in 1988, Sonja has become one of the BBC’s most experienced broadcasters. She learnt her trade as a news reporter before joining the sports team from where she has never looked back. Sonja was the first woman to produce BBC Radio’s rugby union output and made her name on the BBC’s Six Nations coverage, along with her work as a reporter for BBC Radio 5 live and Rugby Union for Grandstand. Sonja can also be seen presenting the sports news throughout the week on BBC News and BBC World News and played a major role in the commentary team for last year’s Olympic Games. Mark Pougatch A seasoned and respected broadcaster across radio and television over many years, Mark Pougatch has presented some of the biggest shows in sports journalism and his CV includes Match of The Day and Football Focus on BBC television.

Mark has also broadcast from every major sporting event that the station covers including the Cricket, Rugby and Football World Cups and Commonwealth Games. He presented from London 2012 for Radio 5 live – his fourth summer Olympics and from Wimbledon 2013. On Radio 5 live he has broadcast right across the schedule in both sport and news roles including presenting 5 live breakfast, Drive, Test Match Special, on 5 live sport anchoring the flagship Saturday programme and presents the iconic Sports Report. Donovan Bailey Donovan Bailey, once the fastest man on earth, is a track and field legend having competed at world class level throughout the 1990s. He held the world record for the men’s 100 metres at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta with a time of 9.84 seconds. He also claimed gold as part of the men’s 4x100 metre relay. The Canadian sprinter is a three-time World Athletics Champion, having competed in Gothenburg (1995) where he claimed a gold medal in the men’s 100 metres and 100 metre relay.

He returned to the world stage in Athens (1997) to help his team retain the men’s 100 metre relay gold medal. Before becoming an athlete, Donovan was a stockbroker. He now lives in Toronto, Canada and regularly co-commentates for Canadian television. Donovan is new to the BBC Radio 5 live commentary team for 2013. BBC Television Gabby Logan A key member of the BBC’s presentation team for the London 2012 Olympics, Gabby presents Final Score, Inside Sport, the Six Nations and the Autumn Rugby Internationals for BBC One. Gabby has hosted a live daily show on Channel 5, LIVE with Gabby Logan, the FIFA 2011 Women’s World Cup for BBC Three, Match of the Day, the One Show and was in South Africa in 2010 reporting on the England team for the FIFA 2010 World Cup and Beijing in 2008 for the Olympics. A former international gymnast, Gabby began her broadcasting career in radio in 1992 and joined Sky Sports in 1996, where she quickly established herself as a football presenter.

First joining ITV in 1998 to front On The Ball, during her nine years at the channel Gabby’s repertoire expanded and her presenting credits include the World Cup, Champions League and the Premiership, as well as the Boat Race and sports news reporting. In 2004 she co-hosted Sport Relief with Gary Lineker for the BBC, before joining the corporation in 2007. Following various stints on the station, Gabby began presenting a regular weekly Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 5 Live in February 2008. From January 2010 to April 2011 she presented The Gabby Logan Show weekdays from 12pm – 2pm, which covered news and sport from across the UK as well as comprehensive analysis of Prime Minister's Questions every Wednesday. She is a columnist for The Times and has previously written for the Sunday Mirror, Independent and Yorkshire Post. Jonathan Edwards CBE Jonathan Edwards' achievements on the track have earned him a place in history as one of the World's greatest and most admired athletes. Almost 17 years after his incredible efforts in Gothenburg, Jonathan Edwards still holds the world record for the triple jump at 18.29m.

In 2000 Jonathan won a gold medal during the Sydney 2000 Olympics and returned home to a hero's welcome. After a career that spanned 15 years, Jonathan made his last competitive triple jump at the World Athletics Championships in Paris in 2003; he retired soon after as one of Great Britain's most successful athletes. Jonathan has received several awards in recognition of his sporting achievements including BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1995; an MBE in 1996 and then a CBE in 2001. Since retiring Jonathan became one of BBC Sport’s key pundits and commentators covering all the major athletics events, including the Olympics in London 2012, Beijing in 2008 and Athens in 2004. Jonathan has been part of the presentation team throughout 2013, covering the Diamond League meetings and the London Anniversary Games for the BBC. Colin Jackson Colin Jackson is without a doubt one of the greatest athletes that Great Britain has ever produced, with almost over a decade spent at the very pinnacle of his sport.

As a 110m hurdler, Colin was ranked in the world top ten for 16 years and he was World No.1 from 1992-1994. For the last seven years of his career Colin was never out of the world’s top 3 and went on to set seven European, eight Commonwealth and nine UK records at 110m hurdles. Colin still holds the World Record over 60m hurdles indoors (7.30, Sindelfingen 1994). On retirement, Colin was a natural choice to become one of the key members of the BBC’s sports production team and he continues to cover all of their Athletics output as a BBC pundit. His broadcasting career began by covering the Athens Olympics and since then he has been an integral part of the BBC output for all major athletic events since including the London Olympics last year and Beijing Olympics in 2008. Colin traced his roots in a moving episode of BBC One's highly acclaimed, ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ and appeared on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.

Colin worked extensively with the BBC Wales award nominated sport website ‘Raise your Game’ from 2004 until early 2012, which, with the help of celebrity interviews and invaluable advice, encouraged children to be ambitious in sport and life in general. Steve Cram MBE Steve Cram is one of the UK's most famous sporting personalities. As an athlete his career was forged alongside Coe and Ovett to form a period of unprecedented success in British athletics and since his retirement he has built a solid broadcasting career as a presenter/commentator for the BBC. In a career spanning over three decades, since appearing as a 17 year old at the Commonwealth Games in 1978, Steve’s many achievements include six Gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the European and World Championships. At the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, Steve returned from injury to take a silver medal in the 1500m behind Sebastian Coe. The following year he broke world records in the 1500m, 2000m and Mile, all within 19 days; the latter lasting almost nine years.

In 1983 Steve was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, one of the few athletes to have won the award, and in 1986 he was awarded an MBE. Since retiring from competitive athletics Steve has become a successful television commentator, first with Eurosport, and then with Channel 4 before joining the BBC as the Chief Athletics Commentator. Steve was part of the BBC’s presentation team during the London 2012 Olympics. He also co-presented the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Athens in 2004, both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing 2008 and the Vancouver Winter Games in 2010. Steve has also been a regular contributor to BBC Radio 5 live including hosting the popular 606 and Sunday Sport shows. Phil Jones Phil is the BBC’s trackside athletics reporter, having first taken on that role at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

He subsequently covered the London 2012 Olympics, Beijing Olympics in 2008, World Championships in Osaka in 2007 & Berlin 2009 and European Championships in Gothenburg in 2006 & Barcelona in 2010 – along with all the BBC’s domestic athletics output, including the London Marathon and Great North Run. Phil currently presents sport on the BBC World News channel out of MediaCity in his home city of Salford. He carried out a similar role for almost eight years from September 1994 for CNN International, hosting their flagship World Sport show almost 2,000 times and co-hosting CNN’s coverage of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, World Cup football in France in 1998 and both Euro 96 and Euro 2000 football tournaments. He also presented CNN’s weekly golf show for two years, reported from the Masters and co-hosted the US PGA Championship for CNNSi in 2001.

Denise Lewis OBE Denise Lewis OBE is a retired British athlete who specialised in the heptathlon, in which and she won the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Alongside Kelly Holmes, Paula Radcliffe and Christine Ohuruogu, Lewis is one of the current "golden girls" of British athletics and has twice (1998 and 2000) been runner up in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In 2004, Lewis took part in the BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing”. She was partnered alongside professional dancer, Ian Waite and in the first few weeks scored the highest number of points with the judges. She eventually reached the final and was runner-up to actress Jill Halfpenny. In 2009, Denise was a pundit for BBC Sport's coverage of the 2009 World Athletics Championships from Berlin alongside Michael Johnson and Colin Jackson a role she filled again for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. In 2012, Denise brought her sporting expertise to the BBC’s presentation team for the London Olympic Games.

This year, Denise is once again a major part of the BBC’s athletics output as she presents from Diamond League meetings and the London Anniversary Games as well as the World Athletics Championships. Paula Radcliffe MBE Paula Radcliffe is one of Britain’s most successful athletes and still holds the world record for the women’s marathon with a time of 2:15:25 hours. A three-time winner of both the London and New York marathons, she is the former world champion of the marathon, half marathon and cross country. In 2002, Paula won the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award after winning her first London Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, 10,000 metres in the European Championships and gold in the 5000 metres at the Manchester Commonwealth Games all in the same year. The long-distance runner represented Great Britain at four consecutive Olympic Games (1996 to 2008) and six World Athletics Championships (1993, 95, 97, 99, 2001 and 2005), winning Britain’s only gold medal in Helsinki in 2005.

Paula will join Gabby Logan and the team in Moscow, bringing all her expertise to the Championships for BBC television. Andrew Cotter Andrew Cotter is one of the most recognised voices across BBC Television and Radio’s coverage of golf, rugby and tennis and has recently joined the BBC’s athletics team. Originally a presenter of sports bulletins on BBC Radio 5 live, as well as Radio 1, 2 and 4, Andrew went on to become a sports presenter on the BBC News Channel, while at the same time building a career commentating on golf and rugby for BBC Radio and Television, working on major events including the Six Nations, Ryder Cup, The US Masters, US Open and USPGA. Andrew began his broadcasting career in commercial radio in his native Scotland, going on to work for Sky News before joining the BBC in 2000. Andrew will join Gabby Logan and the team as part of BBC televisions coverage of the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow. Paul Dickenson As an athlete, Paul Dickenson competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics; Montreal in 1976 and Moscow in 1980. He held the British and Commonwealth records for throwing the hammer.

Paul joined the BBC Sports team in 1987 as a trackside reporter and since 1990 he has commentated on every major athletics meeting for the BBC, as well as the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Paul is a voice that is known to millions. Amongst many major outside broadcasts, Paul has also commentated on the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as programmes such as the Lord Mayors Show, Superstars, World’s Strongest Man, Comic Relief and Sports Relief. Brendan Foster MBE Brendan Foster's athletics career saw him compete in in three Olympic Games; the 1970 Commonwealth Championships in Edinburgh (15,000m), the 1974 European Championships (5,000m) and the 1978 Commonwealth Championship in Edmonton (10,000m). He also set two world records for the 3,000m (1972 and 1974), competed in three Olympic Games and claimed Britain's only track and field medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In 1980, Brendan retired from active athletics.

His career as a commentator began shortly afterwards and he has worked for the BBC commentating and reporting on Athletics at every major event since 1983, including last year’s Olympic Games in London. Brendan was also the brains behind Britain's biggest annual road race, The Great North Run. Brendan Foster was awarded the MBE in 1976 and a CBE in 2008. Michael Johnson Michael Johnson is one of the most successful runners in the world and is generally considered one of the greatest sprinters in the history of track and field. He made history at the 1996 Olympics where he became the first man to ever win a gold medal for both the 200 metres and 400 metres at the same Olympics. During his career he has won 19 international gold medals. He held the world record for the 200 metres between 1996 -2008, his world record for the 400 metres set in 1999 is yet to be broken.

Michael’s many accolades include being inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall Of Fame, being named U.S Male Olympian of the Decade (1990-1999), winning an ESPN Award and being awarded International Sportsman of the Year in 2000. After winning the 400 metres and 4x400m relay at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Michael retired. He is now an integral part to the BBC’s commentary team providing expert analysis on a range of athletics sporting events, including last year’s Olympic Games in London. He has also appeared on Radio 4’s iconic programme Desert Island Discs.

Question: British athlete Jonathan Edwards competed in which event?
Answer: Triple jump