Bob Thomas' long jump record is the longest surviving athletics field event record in the country.
What's even more impressive about it, is that in 47 years, training methods and technology have improved. But still, no New Zealander has jumped further. On January 20, 1968, Bob jumped 8.05m at atwilight athletics meeting at Whangarei's Okara Park.
He beat the existing record by more than 33cm. Surprisingly, it wasn't enough to secure a spot in the 1968 Olympics team.
At 29, Bob may have been considered too old for Mexico. Nowadays, it's widely recognised that sprint athletes peak in their late 20s and even early 30s. Given the explosive sprint factor that long jump demands, Bob was a long way from being over the athletic hill. He deserved to go to Mexico.
So it was nice to see this amazing record acknowledged yesterday when Bob was presented with a certificate from Athletics Northland acknowledging his outstanding achievement.
He's a humble guy and in great shape in his 70s. His record speaks for itself, and we'd like to add our voice to the occasion by saying congratulations Bob, you were a world class athlete and you remain a great Northlander.
