Long Jump

At a glance

• A foul occurs if the athlete crosses the takeoff line.
• Athletes usually receive preliminary attempts, with leading competitors earning additional jumps.
• The closest landing mark determines the measured distance.

Player profile. A long jumper must arrive at the board fast without sacrificing accuracy. A repeatable approach, forceful one-foot takeoff, controlled flight action, and a landing that projects the feet forward while preventing the body from falling backward all protect centimetres that raw speed alone cannot guarantee.

Where it happens

A long-jump runway channels approach speed toward a takeoff board and a level sand pit. The plasticine or foul indicator beside the board helps officials judge an overstep, while the raked landing surface preserves the nearest impression used for measurement after each attempt.

• The source diagram shows a runway at least about 40 m and a pit roughly 2.75-3 m wide.

What you need

• Spiked shoes
• Takeoff board and indicator material
• Raked sand pit
• Measuring system

How to play

1. The athlete accelerates down the runway, plants one foot before the foul line, uses a flight technique, and lands with both feet forward. Officials measure a legal attempt to the nearest break in the sand.

The essential rules

1. Takeoff must occur from one foot.
2. The athlete may not cross the board's foul edge.
3. The landing must be within the pit.
4. Any mark closer to the board than the feet counts in measurement.
5. The athlete must leave the pit without walking back through the measured area.
6. Attempts must begin within the allowed time.
7. Only the designated number of attempts count.
8. A tie is resolved by comparing next-best jumps.

How the result is decided

Officials measure a legal jump from the takeoff line to the closest mark left in the sand by any part of the athlete. The longest valid distance wins; if best marks are equal, the comparison moves to each athlete's next-best legal attempt rather than rewarding an earlier jump.

Fouls and penalties

• Overstepping the takeoff line
• Landing outside the pit
• Exceeding attempt time
• Improper exit from pit

Techniques

• Progressive runway acceleration
• Penultimate-step preparation
• Hang or hitch-kick flight
• Feet-forward landing

Tactics

• Use a consistent check mark.
• Balance board accuracy against maximum speed.
• Secure a valid early jump before taking greater risk.

Disciplines and variants

• Standing long jump
• Indoor long jump

Competition landscape

• Olympic Games
• World Athletics Championships

Records in the reference

No stable record table is published here. Records change; use the current governing-body source before acting.

How the sport developed

The source connects the event to ancient jumping contests and follows its development into a measured modern runway event. Replacing improvised takeoff points with a fixed board and prepared pit made fouls visible and distances repeatable, encouraging specialized flight and landing techniques.

• The source recounts the long-standing influence of Bob Beamon's 1968 Olympic jump.

Play it in India

• Athletics Federation of India is the current organisation reference and is matched to a dated MYAS recognition source. This does not establish local intake, price, schedule or availability.

Organisation reference

Athletics Federation of India

Recognition state

MYAS recognition list matched

SAI NCOE discipline rows

No matching centre row found

Khelo India discipline

Not established

Olympic programme

Current · since 1896

India Olympic medals

No sport-level total in current sources

Evidence and currency

This is an original KhelPath explainer assembled from editorial research. It is orientation, not an authoritative rulebook.

World Athletics Book of Rules ↗ · observed 2026-08-28

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