British athletics legend talks about his Olympic gold from 25 years in the past, the state of play in monitor and subject and why his 1995 world file has stood the check of time
There are few sporting sights as pleasing as Jonathan Edwards within the triple leap. In his heyday, he was the epitome of athleticism. A pleasure to look at, his lithe body hid enormous quantities of energy and technical brilliance and he glided gracefully from one section to a different in distinction to the crash, bang, wallop of a lot of his rivals.
He was typically in comparison with a stone skimming throughout water and such capability led to him setting the present world file of 18.29m along with successful Olympic gold in Sydney. His record-breaking feat celebrated its thirtieth anniversary earlier this summer time whereas his Olympic victory passed off 25 years in the past this month – a silver anniversary of a gold-plated achievement.
When it got here to Sydney, it was a case of fourth time fortunate. Edwards had completed nicely out of the operating on the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Video games, whereas he struggled with the stress of being world No.1 in 1996 and took silver behind Kenny Harrison of america in Atlanta.
In some methods it was applicable for Edwards to ultimately get to the highest of the Olympic podium after a prolonged journey. When it got here to athletics usually he was, in spite of everything, the basic gradual developer.
Born in London in 1966, he grew up in north Devon because the son of a vicar and confirmed little indicators of turning into a world-class athlete. The West Nation doesn’t historically produce many world-class subject eventers – partly attributable to an absence of amenities – and Edwards’ college, regardless of being higher higher than most, solely had a grass monitor and a cinder jumps space.
“I went to an excellent college in north Devon referred to as West Buckland,” he says, “they usually had all of the sporting amenities. It was a basic kind of English non-public college the place sport was a significant a part of the curriculum. That mentioned, I feel I did my first triple leap on a kind of barely downhill cinder monitor on the backside of the primary XV rugby subject. The primary time I ever jumped on an all-weather floor would have been in Plymouth.”
He provides: “It wasn’t a complicated starting to my athletics profession in any respect and I did not even take into consideration having an athletics profession. I simply loved my sport. The truth is I loved all sports activities. The massive change was successful the English Faculties title in 1984 in Thurrock.”
Edwards received the senior boys’ crown that yr with a wind-assisted 15.01m though he remembers: “Lawrence Lynch received the intermediate triple leap and he jumped additional than me!”
Edwards went to Durham College to learn physics. “I jumped 16.35m in 1987 and went to the World Pupil Video games the place I completed ninth,” he says, “however I did not even leap 16 metres within the last. So even once I left college, I might solely jumped 16.35m.”
He started to be coached by Carl Johnson – and later Peter Stanley and Norman Anderson – and when he left college he determined to make the leap and take athletics severely. “I will need to have been mad,” he says.
Regardless of lacking the 1988 Olympic trials attributable to his non secular beliefs on the time and the actual fact the competitors fell on a Sunday, he was picked for the Seoul Video games and completed simply twenty third in qualifying with 15.88m.
“I spent a while with Colin Jackson lately,” he says. “We did some stuff with Puma for the thirtieth anniversary of my world file and, in fact, Colin was breaking world junior information and buying and selling varied titles with Jon Ridgeon and he received the Olympic silver medal in 1988. So he was at all times a kind of famous person within the making from the get go, whereas I used to be very a lot a late developer.”
After college, Edwards profession lastly started to take off and he matured right into a bona fide world-class performer. On the 1992 Video games he had hopes of ending within the high six and had jumped 17.26m within the countdown to the occasion, however in Barcelona itself he managed solely 15.76m to position thirty fifth. But there was some comfort – and likewise a promise of issues to come back – when he received his occasion on the World Cup in Havana on the finish of the season with 17.34m.
Round this time he started to start out competing on a Sunday and he continued to progress as he constructed as much as his peak season of 1995. On the European Cup in Lille that yr he created a sensation when he soared out to wind-assisted leaps of 18.43m (2.4) and 18.39m (3.7m). The distances had been so spectacular, some folks thought it was a misprint and that the outcomes ought to have learn 17 as an alternative of 18 metres.
In July he succeeded Willie Banks as world record-holder with 17.98m (1.8) in Salamanca however he wasn’t glad and went to the World Championships in Gothenburg eager to leap over 18 metres legally.
His first try within the Swedish metropolis noticed him smash the world file with 18.16m (1.3) . Then he went even additional with 18.29m (1.3) – the world’s first 60-foot leap.
He hopped 6.05m, stepped 5.22m and jumped an unimaginable 7.05m to turn into the primary triple jumper to set two world information again to again. Not surprisingly he scooped virtually each award going on the finish of 1995 together with IAAF male athlete and BBC sports activities character of the yr. The one draw back was that everybody was hanging the Olympic gold medal round his neck forward of Atlanta.
Partly attributable to being a gradual developer and missing in success as a junior, Edwards says he struggled to really feel he “belonged” in elite athletics and “wasn’t acclimatised to success”. He explains: “It caught up with me a bit in Atlanta in ’96 and I feel I discovered the stress actually fairly overwhelming.”
Regardless of having a 22-competition win-streak coming into the Video games, he jumped a greater than respectable 17.88m however completed runner-up to an impressed Harrison because the American jumped 18.09m – the third finest authorized leap in historical past at that stage behind Edwards’ two world information in Gothenburg.
By the point Sydney rolled round 4 years later, Edwards was, by now, 34 years previous – nearly a geriatric in triple leap phrases. He had additionally had ankle surgical procedure in 1998, which led to a disappointing 1999 season however it meant he was fitter and more healthy for Olympic yr.
On the Video games he leapt 17.71m within the third spherical – the furthest leap on the earth all yr though inferior to his finest leap from Atlanta 4 years earlier. Nonetheless, it was sufficient to see off the problem of Yoel Garcia of Cuba and Denis Kapustin of Russia.
So, what means extra to Edwards? The Olympic victory or world file?
“The world file,” he says emphatically. “I feel the reason being fairly easy – the world file defines me greater than my Olympic title. I am often known as the world record-holder and I nonetheless maintain the world file after 30 years. So I feel that trumps successful the Olympics.”
He describes his successful mark in Sydney as “garbage” however provides: “Look, it was wonderful to win the Olympics, do not get me incorrect. And it is extremely particular to have been an Olympic champion.
“If my world file had been damaged after 10 years, perhaps which may have flipped issues slightly in direction of Sydney. However I nonetheless suppose having performed one thing higher than anyone else in your chosen self-discipline is, for me, by definition a singular achievement. A number of folks can win an Olympic title and you do not have to be the perfect on the earth to be an Olympic champion.”
Following his athletics profession, Edwards has loved a profitable profession in broadcasting. He offered athletics on BBC, along with biking, the latter of which is a giant ardour of his. He additionally offered Songs of Reward on BBC though he’s not a religious Christian as he misplaced his religion about 18 years in the past.
He nonetheless cycles a bit, however he’s more and more extra more likely to be discovered on a golf course. He performs with a lot of ex-athletes like Kriss Akabusi, Denise Lewis and John Regis. As we spoke for this interview, he was simply finishing a home transfer from Newcastle to East Lothian in Scotland, too, partly to be close to the nice golf programs within the space. “I’m additionally virtually 60 and we simply felt we would have liked a change,” he provides.
How carefully does he watch athletics today? “I will regulate the triple leap when a significant championship comes alongside,” he says. “However no, truly, funnily sufficient since I retired from being concerned with the broadcasting facet of issues when Covid occurred, I’ve misplaced monitor slightly bit. Now and again I dip out and in. However I am undoubtedly not an avid watcher of athletics now.”
He feels the game has misplaced its lustre in recent times compared to its heyday within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties.
He additionally feels his expertise could be ignored today if was a younger athlete beginning out immediately. “Numerous my enhancements once I first began coaching severely simply got here from bodily improvement and never from any coaching improvement,” he explains, “so my type of expertise could be misplaced to the game just because the system would let you know there isn’t any level in doing this since you’re not adequate.”
Sydney 2000 represented a excessive level for British triple leaping, with Larry Achike ending fifth and Phillips Idowu sixth. Idowu went on to win a world title in 2009 whereas within the ladies’s triple leap Ashia Hansen loved a number of worldwide victories throughout that interval. As compared, Britain didn’t have a triple jumper finally yr’s Olympics and nor will they’ve any at this yr’s World Championships.
“Athletics has dropped off by way of recognition and participation for positive,” says Edwards. “I imply, there is a operating increase, however that’s extra to do with well being and health.
“I do not suppose athletics has actually saved tempo with the professionalisation of sport and definitely the rewards aren’t there in athletics in the best way they’re with different sports activities.
“It is a powerful sport. There isn’t any getting away from it. You wish to run a quick 800 metres, you have to exit and actually break your self in coaching to see any enhancements. It isn’t like going out and having a sport of soccer or a sport of golf or tennis or basketball or having enjoyable in a skate park, doing skateboarding, a number of the extra trendy sports activities which have come into the Olympics.
“I feel the alternatives for younger folks in school are most likely minimal in the case of getting concerned with athletics because it does require a number of experience. It is definitely fallen out of style. So that you simply have not acquired the expertise going into it. And notably into subject occasions that are much more demanding by way of needing amenities and technical recommendation. I feel athletics has misplaced tempo with different sports activities.”
Might he have predicted again in 1995 that BBC and AW would nonetheless be round protecting the game 30 years later?
“I might have, however I might have assumed it might have grown. I do not suppose it is a shock that it is there. I imply, again then it was the No.2 sport most likely behind soccer. Now it feels to me prefer it’s nicely down the pecking order. It’s important to actually go and search for it. In order for you it, it is not likely there entrance and centre in all the large streaming platforms for sport.”
Is he stunned his world file has stood the check of time?
“After leaping that distance, my quick thought was that I might break it once more!” he smiles. “I believed I will turn into a greater athlete. I will be sooner. I will be stronger. My approach will enhance and I will leap additional as a result of it is at all times the best way while you do one thing rather well.
“It feels very simple and it virtually methods you into considering that, if I can do it that simply, I can do it once more as a result of it proved somewhat tougher than that. And certainly, I solely jumped 18 metres as soon as extra in my profession.
“The thought that we’re sitting right here speaking about it 30 years on is is kind of outstanding and fairly mind-blowing to be completely sincere. I imply holding a world file is mind-blowing there isn’t any doubt about it for me that is that is the factor from athletics profession which takes my breath away probably the most is that I’ve jumped additional than anyone else in historical past.
“I feel that is loopy and the actual fact it is lasted for 30 years is simply as one other stage of craziness.”
Watch the complete interview right here…
