<p>On October 18 at the Mexico 1968 Olympics, a magician was at its fluent best. The magic moment was created by Robert Bob Beamon who eclipsed the then long jump world record by leaping to a distance of 8.90 metres (29 feet 2.5 inch), bettering the existing record by a whooping 55 centimetres (21¾ inch). <br /><br />The defending Olympic champion Lynn Davies, who couldn’t believe, told Beamon "You have destroyed this event". After that effort from the American, every amazing performance in sports has been described by an adjective Beamonesque. <br /><br />Beamon, who was unfamiliar with metric measurements, wasn't aware of the enormous effort. But when his team-mate and coach Ralph Boston told him that he broke the world record by nearly 2 feet, an astonished Beamon collapsed to his knees and placed his hands over his face in shock. In one of the most enduring images of the Games, his competitors then helped him to his feet.<br /><br />Interestingly, Beamon landed his jump near the far end of the sand pit but the optical device which had been installed to measure the distance wasn’t enough to measure Beamon’s jump. This forced the officials to measure the distance manually. Beamon, who entered the Olympics as the favourite, nearly missed the final, overstepping on his first two attempts in qualifying. With only one chance left, Beamon re-measured his approach run from a spot in front of the board and made a fair jump that helped him to advance into the final.</p>.<p> <br />The record stood for almost 23 years before until it was broken by his compatriot Mike Powell in 1991.</p>.<p><br />Beamon, who was born on August 29, 1946, in New York, was raised by his grandmother after his mother died at the age of 25 due to tuberculosis, when he was only 8 months old. Beamon was attending the Jamaica HS when he was discovered by Larry Ellis, a track coach. Beamon later became part of the All-American track and field team.</p>
<p>On October 18 at the Mexico 1968 Olympics, a magician was at its fluent best. The magic moment was created by Robert Bob Beamon who eclipsed the then long jump world record by leaping to a distance of 8.90 metres (29 feet 2.5 inch), bettering the existing record by a whooping 55 centimetres (21¾ inch). <br /><br />The defending Olympic champion Lynn Davies, who couldn’t believe, told Beamon "You have destroyed this event". After that effort from the American, every amazing performance in sports has been described by an adjective Beamonesque. <br /><br />Beamon, who was unfamiliar with metric measurements, wasn't aware of the enormous effort. But when his team-mate and coach Ralph Boston told him that he broke the world record by nearly 2 feet, an astonished Beamon collapsed to his knees and placed his hands over his face in shock. In one of the most enduring images of the Games, his competitors then helped him to his feet.<br /><br />Interestingly, Beamon landed his jump near the far end of the sand pit but the optical device which had been installed to measure the distance wasn’t enough to measure Beamon’s jump. This forced the officials to measure the distance manually. Beamon, who entered the Olympics as the favourite, nearly missed the final, overstepping on his first two attempts in qualifying. With only one chance left, Beamon re-measured his approach run from a spot in front of the board and made a fair jump that helped him to advance into the final.</p>.<p> <br />The record stood for almost 23 years before until it was broken by his compatriot Mike Powell in 1991.</p>.<p><br />Beamon, who was born on August 29, 1946, in New York, was raised by his grandmother after his mother died at the age of 25 due to tuberculosis, when he was only 8 months old. Beamon was attending the Jamaica HS when he was discovered by Larry Ellis, a track coach. Beamon later became part of the All-American track and field team.</p>
