World Athletics are considering one of the most radical changes in the history of the long jump, with a take-off board to be replaced by a zone.

Under the proposal, which is already being trialled, athletes will have a bigger designated area on the runway to launch their jump, which will then be measured from the exact point of take-off to where they land in the sand.

Currently, the starting point of a jump is taken as the edge of the fixed synthetic board, rather than where a competitor actually takes off.

World Athletics have come up with the idea to ensure that ‘every single jump counts’ after data showed them that a third of all efforts at last summer’s World Championships were fouls, where an athlete had overstepped the board.

The new concept will initially be tested at low-level meetings this year and, if it proves to be successful, it could be rolled out for elite competitions from 2026 ahead of the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

World Athletics are considering one of the most radical changes in the history of the long jump, with a take-off board to be replaced by a zone

World Athletics are considering one of the most radical changes in the history of the long jump, with a take-off board to be replaced by a zone

Athletes would have a bigger designated area on the runway to launch their jump, which will then be measured from the exact point of take-off to where they land in the sand

Athletes would have a bigger designated area on the runway to launch their jump, which will then be measured from the exact point of take-off to where they land in the sand

Speaking to the Anything But Footy podcast, World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon explained: ‘We are trying to tackle the events that perhaps are less popular. How can we make them more popular, more exciting, more engaging?

‘If you take the long jump, at the World Championships, a third of all the jumps were no-jumps. That doesn’t work. That’s a waste of time.

‘So we are testing a take-off zone rather than a take-off board. We will measure from where the athlete takes off to where they land in the pit.

‘That means every single jump counts. It adds to the jeopardy and drama in the competition. At the same time, we are working out ways we can get instant results so you don’t have to wait 20 to 30 seconds before the result pops up. We get it instantly.

‘It’s about making what we have got already even more entertaining for the future.’

The long jump has been around since the ancient Olympic Games and was one of the events which made up the pentathlon in 708 BC. It is believed the jump was made from a board even then. It has also been part of every modern Olympics from when they started in Athens in 1896.

Notable former Olympic long jump champions include Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis of the USA and Great Britain’s Greg Rutherford.

‘You cannot make change in a sport that was basically invented 150 years ago without some controversy,’ said Ridgeon.

‘But we think it is worth doing. This is not about next year, but making sure we have got a sport that is fit for purpose for another 150 years.

‘We will spend this year testing it in real life circumstances with very good athletes. If it doesn’t pass testing, we will never introduce it. We are not going to introduce things on a whim because one of us thinks it is a good idea.

‘In terms of a global level, a lot of these ideas may not be even introduced until 2026. We really want to spend the next two years thoroughly working them through and then we will introduce them.

‘Jazmin Sawyers (Britain’s European indoor champion) is a super bright athlete and I think she’s someone who is a good example who will embrace change and work with us, but she might not.

‘If you have dedicated your life to hitting that take-off board perfectly and then suddenly we replace it with a take-off zone, I totally get that there might be initial resistance.

‘But as long as it is based on good testing and good data, I think eventually it will work through.

The long jump changes could be seen for the first time at a new-look global event World Athletics will launch in 2026.

‘We are creating a new global championship to plug the gap in the years where we don’t have a big global championship,’ added Ridgeon.

‘It won’t be a mimic of the existing World Championships. It will be faster paced, shorter. We are looking at three nights.

‘Athletes are very much still competing in their national strips, representing their nations, but it will be very much best of the best, competing for the biggest prize pot that there has ever been in athletics.

‘Quite a lot of the innovation that we are working on now, this is probably the moment we will unveil it in terms of the global platform.’

Meanwhile, Josh Kerr will go for more global glory in front of his home Scottish crowd after opting to run in next week’s World Indoor Championships.

The world 1500metres champion’s participation in Glasgow was in doubt, with many top stars skipping the event to focus on this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

But Kerr was on Monday named in a small Great Britain squad, fresh from breaking the two-mile world record in New York earlier this month.

The 26-year-old will race in the 3,000m and is the only individual medallist from last year’s outdoor World Championships in Britain’s party of 20.

Kerr’s fellow Scot, Laura Muir, will also run the 3,000m in Glasgow, where she could add to her tally of global medals, which includes an Olympic 1500m silver and world bronze.

Former Great British athlete Greg Rutherford is a notable Olympic long jump champion, with the event part of every modern Olympics from when they started in Athens in 1896

Former Great British athlete Greg Rutherford is a notable Olympic long jump champion, with the event part of every modern Olympics from when they started in Athens in 1896

Meanwhile, Josh Kerr - fresh from breaking the two-mile world record in New York - will go for more global glory after opting to run in next week¿s World Indoor Championships

Meanwhile, Josh Kerr – fresh from breaking the two-mile world record in New York – will go for more global glory after opting to run in next week’s World Indoor Championships

Jemma Reekie, the Scottish 800m runner, and pole vaulter Molly Caudery are Britain’s other top medal contenders next week.

‘This is a really exciting squad that includes global medallists as well as athletes who will be hoping to make an impact on the world stage for the first time,’ said Olympic head coach Paula Dunn.

Of Britain’s individual medallists from last summer’s World Championships in Budapest, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Keely Hodgkinson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Zharnel Hughes and Ben Pattison are all missing Glasgow with the Olympics in mind.

But their absence has been defended by Muir, who said: ‘I completely understand it. That initially was my plan. But if I missed out on the only chance to run a global championships in Scotland, I’d be gutted. I just couldn’t miss that opportunity.’

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Post source: Daily mail

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