Plans are in place to introduce a new method for measuring long jump take-offs in order to reduce the number of invalid jumps.
The decision comes after one-third of all jumps at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest were deemed invalid because athletes stepped over the line.
Currently, long jumpers take off from a wooden board, and a jump is considered invalid if their foot crosses the line.
World Athletics is considering implementing a trial of a ‘take-off zone’ where a jump will be measured from the point where the athlete’s front foot leaves the ground to where they land in the pit.
Reflecting on the current system, World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon expressed his thoughts on the Anything But Footy podcast, stating, “That method doesn’t work and is a waste of time.”
“So we are testing at the moment a take-off zone, rather than a board.
“But at the same time we are trying to work out ways of getting instant results so that you don’t have to wait 20 or 30 seconds before the result pops up, and how we speed up the whole thing.”
Speaking about the potential positives the change will make, Ridgeon said: “It will mean that every jump counts.
“It adds to the jeopardy and the drama of the competition.”
Olympic long jump champion Carl Lewis, has expressed opposition, writing on X: “You’re supposed to wait until April 1st for April Fools jokes.
Ridgeon was aware that the idea would elicit strong reactions.
“You cannot make change in a sport that was basically invented 150 years ago without some controversy,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
