Bob Beamon is an American Olympic Hall of Famer, who competed in the men’s long jump. He chatted about his historic jump and his latest endeavors.
He still holds the longest-standing modern Olympic record in Track and Field in the men’s long jump, 8.90 meters, which he accomplished at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where he also won the gold medal.
At the time, his jump of 8.90 meters, broke the existing world record by 55 centimeters and it stood as the world record for 23 years until Beamon’s compatriot, Mike Powell, jumped farther in the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo (8.95 meters).
Contemporary media outlets have declared Beamon’s jump as “the leap of the century,” and rightfully so.
Beamon reflecting on his iconic jump
On jumping 8.90 meters, Beamon said, “I thought it was a perfect day for me, though I am not so sure for the rest of the competition.”
“We needed a lot of good things to happen, and one of the good things that happened was that I won a gold medal, and I had set a world and Olympic record, where the Olympic record still stands to this day. I am really blessed that it still remains as a record, and hopefully, it will stay around a little bit longer,” he elaborated.
Advice for young and emerging track and field athletes
For young and aspiring track and field athletes, Beamon said, “You need to stay with your interest.”
“Sometimes, the younger generation wants to get there fast, and sometimes, they miss out on the beneficial steps that they need to be successful, so they may never reach their goal. I do think that if they stay with their plan and practice and do what they are supposed to (whatever their coaches say), I think they will probably do very well,” he said.
“I think they shouldn’t go into the games trying to break a record or try to do a PB (personal best); they should just enjoy themselves and have fun with the sport,” he said.
“A lot of athletes today cannot handle the media and the exposure, so they have a difficult time competitively. They need to concentrate on what they trained so hard for, and that is to someday be an Olympic champion,” he acknowledged.
Beamon on what he loves the most about the long jump
When asked what he loves the most about the long jump, Beamon said with a sweet laugh, “I liked the idea that if you win the track and field meets, then you get all the good girls and the good ladies.”
“Seriously though, what I remember and love about it, is that it helped me in the future in my life… it helped me concentrate on other things in life, where I used the same techniques that I had done in trainings. I never gave up on trying to win or making myself better, so I used that technique in my personal and social life,” he explained.
Beamon defines success
On his definition of the word success, Beamon remarked, “Success is a history of ups and downs as you grow into perfecting your craft. Success doesn’t mean that you have to be winning all the time to be successful. Success means completing what you set out to do.”
“You always feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he admitted. “Health is all a part of it and how you feel about yourself. There are a lot of athletes that can’t put a check in each of those boxes so many athletes struggle because they have not been able to check those boxes off, and they have to work. There is no shortcoming to success.”
“Also, those that try to take a shortcut miss out on the main ingredients of their development. Success is when a person can feel good about themselves,” he said.
Jazz album
Lately, Bob Beamon and Stix Bones released their jazz album “Olimpik Soul” as part of The Bone Squad, which marks Beamon’s recording debut as a percussionist.
The Bone Squad is an acronym for “Brothers of Noble Excellence.” The band is made up of Stix Bones on drums, Bob Beamon on percussion, Densen “Meighstro” Curwen on piano/synths/strings, Albert Brisbane on bass, Steven Brown on guitar, Sean Taylor (Sxntylr) on trumpet, Melvin Smith on the saxophone, Abiodun Oyewole on vocals, and Khadejia Bass on vocals.
“Olimpik Soul” is available on Apple Music, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
To learn more about Stix Bones, follow him on Instagram.
For more information on living Olympic legend Bob Beamon, follow him on Instagram.
