New long jump ‘take off zone’ tested, faces mixed reactions

A long jumper jumps from the new take-off zone during an indoor meeting in Düsseldorf. Photo / Getty Images

A new long jump “take-off zone” was trialled at the indoor athletics meet in Düsseldorf on Sunday in what may become a notable change to the long-established sport.

The reform replaces the line on the traditional board behind which jumps must be made.

Instead, the distance of the jump will be measured using cameras from where the foot left the ground in a 40cm “take-off zone”, significantly reducing the risk of invalid jumps.

German 2020 Olympic gold medallist Malaika Mihambo won the event with a 6.87m jump, her third victory in three appearances this year.

“I definitely found it interesting,” she said to Germany’s ARD network, adding the change was “exciting”.

“You could see a few things that need to be worked on, but I actually think it’s a great idea.”

At the Düsseldorf meet, the organisers also measured athletes' jumps using the traditional board.

Mihambo’s “take-off zone” mark was almost half a metre better than her traditional result of 6.39, where she had four invalid jumps.

The 31-year-old, however, recorded a 7.07m jump under standard conditions in Karlsruhe on Friday and told reporters on Sunday she was “simply very tired”.

It is unclear whether World Athletics will introduce the new measure at major competitions such as the Olympics.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has advocated for changes, saying spectators get bored when athletes register invalid jumps.

Before Sunday’s event, Coe said in Düsseldorf “at the 2023 World Championships, around a third of the jumps were invalid”.

“Our sport is 150 years old. There are untouchable elements that we want to protect. But there are also areas that leave spectators cold”.

The reform has, however, faced criticism.

American great Carl Lewis, who won long jump gold at four straight Olympics from 1984 to 1996, called the plan an “April fools joke” on social media when the plans were announced in 2024.

Lewis said introducing a take-off zone “would eliminate the most difficult skill from the event”.