naaatt :: archive :: news :: newsletter :: 2018 ::

Fan Zone Newsletter

Long Jump Record Progression

Track & Field Retrospect by Bernard Linley :: 13.07.2018

When Andwuelle Wright long jumped 8.23 to take the championships title on 23 June, he set a new national record and also became the first TT athlete to jump 27 feet.

Here is a brief look back at the progression of the national long jump record, and the various athletes who broke the barriers expressed in feet, the measurement used before the sport went metric.

In 1919 Teddy Farrell was our first jumper over 20 feet with 20-9 (6.32), and that was improved by his brother Fred Farrell who broke the 21 foot barrier with 21-9 (6.47) in 1926.

Four years later John Ashmead jumped 21-10 (6.65), which remained on the books until 1936, when QRC student Buster Robertson recorded the first 22 foot leap with 22-4 (6.80), and bettered that to 22-7 (6.88) at the 1937 QRC Sports.

This record lasted for 20 years until Learie Scipio jumped 23-9 (7.24) at the 1957 BWI Championships, and became our first 23 foot jumper.

In 1964 Brian Skinner did 23-9 ½ (7.25), in 1965 Allen Callender jumped 23-10 ½ (7.27) and then in 1967 Keith Swanston brought the record over 24 feet with 24-6 (7.46).

Skinner reclaimed the record with 24-6 ½ (7.48) in 1968, and the following year Swanston reclaimed it with 24-7 (7.49)!

After that it was the turn of George Swanston, younger brother of Keith, who brought the record over 25 feet with 25-2 (7.67) in 1971 and over 26 feet with 26-0 ¾ (7.94) in 1976.

Wendell Williams jumped 7.99 (26-2 ¾) in 1993 to set a new record which he upped to 8.00 (26-3) in 1998, and then 8.14 (26-8 ½) in 1999.

This latter was the record broken by Andwuelle Wright in 2018.

Considering that Wright is just 20 years of age, it is possible that he may improve his 8.23 record, bringing it closer to the 8.95 (29-4 ½) world mark set by Mike Powell in 1991

See Fan Zone Media Articles : 25 June 2018
See Trinidad & Tobago National Records
See Trinidad & Tobago National Athlete Ranking

Top