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      Who holds the long jump world record?

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      THE long jump has featured at every Olympic Games since 1896.The event is contested by both men and women, but who hold the world records?
      Mike Powell jumped to a world record of 8.95 metres in 1991Credit: Hulton Archive – Getty
      Who holds the world record for the longest long jump?
      The world record for men’s long jump is 8.95 metres, set by Mike Powell in the 1991 world athletics championships in Tokyo, Japan.
      The American finally overtook the mark set by Bob Beamon after 23 years.
      However US athlete Beamon is still the Olympic record holder, leaping 8.90 metres on his way to winning the gold medal in 1968 in Mexico.
      The world record for women’s long jump is 7.52 metres, set by Slovakia athlete Galina Chistyakova in Saint Petersburg (then called Leningrad) in 1988.
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      Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee is the Olympic record holder for the women’s long jump, with a jump of 7.40 metres that saw her win the gold medal at Seoul 1988.
      Who is Mike Powell?
      Mike Powell is an American athlete who has held the long jump world record since 1991.
      He was born on November 10, 1963, and is married to Canadian 400-metre hurdler Rosey Edeh.
      Despite holding the world record and winning two world championship gold medals, Powell never became Olympic champion, having to settle for a silver medal in 1988 and 1992.
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      Who is Galina Chistyakova?
      Galina Chistyakova is a former long jumper who represented the Soviet Union and later Slovakia.
      She holds the world record for women in the event, jumping 7.52 metres on June 11, 1988.
      Despite holding the record for long jump, Chistyakova fell short in her attempts to become Olympic champion, with her best finish resulting in a bronze medal in Seoul 1988, the same year she set the record.
      What is Usain Bolt’s long jump?
      Despite announcing intentions to compete in this event before his retirement from athletics in 2017, Usain Bolt has never set a recorded jump.
      He was filmed having a go at the long jump during a meet in Ostrava in 2017, but his distance wasn’t recorded.
      Powell was quoted in 2017 as saying that Bolt “could have long jumped nine metres had he trained for it” due to his pace and strength over a short distance. More

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      Meet Yuliia Levchenko, the stunning high jumper who loves to travel and sets fan’s pulses racing with bikini beach snaps

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      MEET Yuliia Levchenko, the stunning high jumper aiming for gold at the 2024 Olympics. Levchenko, 25, is an athlete with a serious travel bug and loves sharing it with her growing Instagram fanbase.
      Yuliia Levchenko loves to share her training and travel with her fansCredit: https://www.instagram.com/levchenkou/?hl=en
      She has a serious travel bugCredit: https://www.instagram.com/levchenkou/?hl=en
      With a particular affinity for the beachCredit: https://www.instagram.com/levchenkou/?hl=en
      Levchenko has been compared to a supermodel by fansCredit: https://www.instagram.com/levchenkou/?hl=en
      She has 404,000 followers on InstagramCredit: https://www.instagram.com/levchenkou/?hl=en
      She often shares her experiences while training as she jets around the globe for her 404,000 Instagram followers.
      Tenerife, Turkey, Italy and France are just some of the places she has visited recently.
      And if there are any beaches on her travels, you can expect to see Levchenko lapping up the sun in a bikini.
      But it is not all fun and games, with a serious training regime to stick to as she aims for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic games.
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      It will be her third time representing Ukraine, having made her debut in 2016 before an impressive eighth-place finish in 2020.
      Levchenko knows the taste of victory, having been the Under 23 European champion on two occasions and the two-time champion for her nation.
      2023 has started well too, scoring a gold medal in the National Indoor Championships with a jump of 1.96 metres – though this is some way short of her personal best of 2.02m scored in 2019.
      She also knows what it is like to be pipped at the end, having won silver at the World Championships in 2017 and at the European Indoor Championships in 2019.
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      Fans love the variety of content, with many posting messages of encouragement and praising her looks across a number of posts.
      One fan said: “She’s gorgeous… natural beauty, athletic and a champ.🔥🙌🏾”
      A second user wrote: “Terrific! Love how spirited you are. More strength to you, Yuliya!”
      A third declared: “She is what a supermodel should look like.”
      “How pretty are you wtf!!❤️,” commented another.
      Her aim in Paris will undoubtedly be to score a medal for her country as war continues to ravage it.
      Levchenko has posted a number of times about the conflict between her nation and Russia.
      A recent post saw her outside of a ruined apartment building and post a photo of a minefield warning sign.
      While a post from March 1 last year saw her plead: “I just want to live in my country Ukraine! Without Russian soldiers and Putin.”

      She is aiming for a medal for Ukraine in the 2024 Olympic gamesCredit: https://www.instagram.com/levchenkou/?hl=en More

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      I’m a team GB runner and I live next to Old Trafford… I can hear the noise and see Man Utd lit up at night

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      TRACK QUEEN Keely Hodgkinson hopes to enjoy some Turkish delight this weekend – and bring more gold to Old Trafford.It is two years ago in the Polish city of Torun that Hodgkinson, 20, announced herself to the world by winning the European 800m indoor crown.
      Keely Hodgkinson is loving Manchester United’s good formCredit: Getty
      In February she beat her own British 800m recordCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      That breakthrough run in her senior rookie year was no fluke and she went on to claim silver medals at Olympic, world and Commonwealth level and establish herself as a track-and-field superstar.
      Hodgkinson is attempting to defend her crown in Istanbul – the heats start today – but her intention is to bring a special gong along on the next trip to watch the Red Devils.
      Manchester United is her team and the Leigh athlete lives close to their ground in a nearby flat.
      She said: “I live on my own now. An independent woman. Well, as a United fan, I wouldn’t look over Manchester City would I?
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      “Do I hear the crowd noise? It’s not that bad. I can literally see it across from me and see the lights buzzing when it’s a match night. It’s busy round town.
      “Where I live is really nice. There is MediaCity. It’s near the airport, the train station and the track. It’s very convenient. I love it.
      “My mum has had a Manchester United season ticket since she was 19 and her name is on the seats at Old Trafford. She is more of a diehard fan than me.
      “I got the last glimpses (of the glory years) when I was about eight years old.
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      “Though I did see his matches, I don’t remember much about Cristiano Ronaldo being at Manchester United the first time round.
      “I was more a fan of Javier Hernandez or Chicharito as he’s known. I liked him when I was growing up.”
      Hodgkinson, who is also the reigning European champion outdoors, has been the fastest woman over four laps of an indoor track this winter.
      Only last weekend she set a British record time of 1:57.18 in Birmingham while falling short of the world record that has stood since 2002.
      Hodgkinson, who turns 21 tomorrow, said: “The 2021 Euros feel like a lifetime ago.
      “One of my favourite things to do, which you could argue is quite bad, is I like to prove people wrong.
      “I was fastest going into that event but because I was young, there were a lot of experienced girls.
      “For me I wanted to prove it doesn’t matter if you’re young, I can still go to a championship and win.
      “That year was a case of getting used to everything. It felt like my brain was catching up with everything.
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      “Mentally I was 19 but physically I felt about 25. It was catching up with me but I’m in a really good place now, two years on.
      “I’m looking forward to building on that and running as fast as possible. See what else we can do.” More

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      I was a Chelsea youth team star but gave it up for Olympics.. I nearly came back to football after shock transfer offer

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      TEAM GB star Adam Gemili nearly quit athletics to return to playing football having played on Chelsea’s books as a kid.Gemili has competed at the highest level as a sprinter, with one of his highs being making the 2012 Team GB Olympic team as an 18-year-old.
      Adam Gemili in team line at Chelsea’s academyCredit: Chelsea FC
      Gemili says he nearly quit athletics to return to playing footballCredit: Getty
      He has also since competed in the Rio Olympic games in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.
      Gemili also has a gold medal in relay from the 2017 world championships.
      However, the 29-year-old questioned quitting athletics after crashing out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which came six years after agonisingly missing out on a bronze medal in the 200ms at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
      The British sprinter, who is of Iranian and Moroccan descent, considered going back to his roots: playing football.
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      Gemili was on Chelsea’s books between 2001 and 2008, and also had a stint at Reading before moving onto Dagenham & Redbridge, where he stayed between 2010-12.
      He told The Times: “I was going back to football.
      “I reached out to a few clubs and they said, ‘Come and do some training with us.’
      “I can’t say the clubs but there was a Championship club and a League One club.
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      “No Premier League clubs — maybe one day — but Chelsea are great and they’ve always said I can go down and do some stuff with them whenever I want.
      “After the Commonwealth Games it was a big, ‘Do I quit and go back to football and try it, maybe go into the National League and make a bit of money and enjoy my last few years of sport — or do I commit to this?’
      “And I thought, ‘Do you know what, I’ve got unfinished business.’
      “I’ve come fourth at the Olympics and the world champs [in 2019].
      “I’ve always been just about close and I believe that if I can get myself in shape, I can run with the best.”
      But Gemili says he’s starting to fall back in love with running – despite not making any money out of the sport or being sponsored.
      Gemili came second place behind the rising star Charlie Dobson in the 60m at the World Indoor Tour Finals in Birmingham on Saturday.
      He said: “I basically quit the sport.
      “I didn’t have any interest. I didn’t enjoy getting up [and] training.
      “I hated it and that was because of all the stressful stuff that was going on.
      “There were a lot of times last year where I was only training once a week, if that.
      Read More on The Sun
      “I’d wake up and just find little niggles, here-and-there injuries, and you can’t motivate yourself to get up and go.
      “I don’t make any money out of the sport and I’m not sponsored, but I’m finding the love again.”
      Gemili has now fallen back in love with athleticsCredit: Alamy More

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      Meet Clara Fernandez, the world’s sexiest pole vaulter who leaves fans stunned with sexy bikini pictures

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      CLARA FERNANDEZ has been enjoying plenty of success on and off the track.The pole vaulter has been impressing for Spain in major competitions around the world.
      Clara Fernandez is a successful pole vaulter representing SpainCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Clara Fernandez has also attracted a strong following on social mediaCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Clara Fernandez has close to half a million followers on InstagramCredit: INSTAGRAM
      The 19-year-old athlete has also been turning heads on social media with her Instagram profile attracting over 426,000 followers.
      The Spaniard has won over fans around the world with her achievements in pole vaulting.
      But Fernandez has also created a strong fanbase thanks to her stunning glam pics on social media.
      However, her Instagram game mainly concentrates on her sports career.
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      Born in 2003, in Sant Cugat del Valles in Barcelona, the Spaniard’s pole vaulting career commenced at an early age.
      She also cut her teeth in various triathlon competitions as she trained for multiple races, such as swimming, running long distances, cycling, and of course pole vaulting.
      Fernandez has also enjoyed plenty of success in Under-20 European championships.
      Since 2018, the track star has won at least 21 titles throughout her young career.
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      That led to a sponsorship deal with Nike, for whom she works as an ambassador.
      As it stands, Fernandez has registered a personal best of 4.05 in outdoor pole vaulting and 4.15 indoors.
      Clara Fernandez has also competed in Triathlons while building a sports careerCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Clara Fernandez has also become a representative for NikeCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Clara Fernandez has won many titles throughout her young careerCredit: INSTAGRAM More

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      Natalie Curtis dead at 34: Tributes paid to Paralympic hero who was part of Australia’s wheelchair basketball squad

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      NINTCHDBPICT000795388100Credit: FacebookFORMER Paralympic star Natalie Curtis has died suddenly aged 34.
      The Australian was a member of her country’s wheelchair basketball squad ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.
      Paralympic star Natalie Curtis has died suddenly aged 34Credit: Facebook
      She was was a member of Australia’s wheelchair basketball squad ahead of the 2021 Tokyo ParalympicsCredit: Facebook
      Curtis, who was the mother of one young son, died on February 5 but her cause of death has not been made public knowledge.
      Her sister, Emma, announced the shocking news on Facebook.
      She wrote: “If you knew Natalie, you would know she was the most beautiful, kind and talented person.
      “She was a daughter, a sister, an auntie and a mother to a beautiful little boy.
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      “Everyone who knew her loved her instantly, she had such a kind soul and would do anything for the people she cared for most.”
      Curtis was born with spina bifida but was heavily involved in sport from an early age.
      After developing a love of swimming, she tragically gave it up after her younger sister drowned in the family pool.
      Aged 14, she then took up wheelchair basketball and went on to claim a silver medal at the 2013 Japan Oceania Championships.
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      Curtis was born with spina bifida but was heavily involved in sport from an early age.
      After developing a love of swimming, she tragically gave it up after her younger sister drowned in the family pool.
      Aged 14, she then took up wheelchair basketball and went on to claim a silver medal at the 2013 Japan Oceania Championships.
      Curtis would go on to represent Australia in wheelchair basketball as she became a huge name as an avid disability activist.
      She went viral online in October after revealing how she was forced to crawl off a plane when Jetstar staff couldn’t provide her with a wheelchair.
      The much-loved star, who suffered five spinal fractures following a car accident after returning from the Japan Oceania Championships in 2013, also trained and coached a wheelchair basketball team.
      Not-for-profit organisation Sporting Dreams paid tribute to Curtis in a statement.
      They wrote: “A young soul taken too soon. She was so much more than an athlete.
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      “A vibrant human being, wife, mother to a small boy, business founder and manager of her own company supporting people with disabilities.
      “Someone who leads by example. RIP Natalie.”
      A host of tributes have been made following the shock newsCredit: Facebook More

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      Who was Linford Christie’s coach Ron Roddan?

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      RON RODDAN is one of the most iconic coaches in British athletics history.He most famously coached Linford Christie to Olympic 100 metres gold in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics.
      Ron Roddan and Linford Christie were inseparable as coach and athleteCredit: Rex
      Roddan coached many household names in the vibrant athletics scene of the 1980s and 1990s, when it was one of the most-watched sports on TV.
      He also oversaw the careers of Katherine Merry and Darren Campbell when they won medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
      Who was Ron Roddan?
      Ron Roddan was a Civil Service lab assistant until he started coaching in athletics in 1979.
      He made his name as a sprint coach at Thames Valley Harriers.
      Roddan met Christie at West London Stadium – a track that would later be named after the champ himself.
      He became part of the furniture in the London athletics scene and slowly coaxed the best of out Christie’s abilities.
      It was Christie who claimed silver in the 100m behind Carl Lewis at the most infamous race of all time – the 1988 Olympic final in Seoul.
      Christie thought he had claimed bronze, only for Canadian winner Ben Johnson to be disqualified after the final.
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      Four years later Christie went to Barcelona as a contender and was second fastest going into the final.
      But he won the Olympic gold in 9.96 seconds – a race Roddan infamously missed because he had hurt his ankle.
      He watched the race on a TV in the warm-up area instead.
      When did Ron Roddan die?
      Christie announced on his Instagram page that Roddan had passed away.
      He posted a picture of them together with the words: “Broken R I E P RON “Rocket” RODDAN.
      His agency Nuff Respect then confirmed the news, that he died in the early hours of February 10, 2023.
      A statement said: “It is with deep sadness that we heard the news that the amazing and irreplaceable Ron Roddan passed away in the early hours of this morning.

      “Ron was a valued coach at Thames Valley Harriers which came to be his second home, but his relationships reached far beyond West London.
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      “His coaching achievements are too many to mention but the most obvious is the Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European medals that Linford won with Ron by his side and the Olympic medals won by Katherine Merry and Darren Campbell at the Sydney Olympics.
      “Ron was devoted to his athletes, brutally honest, pushing them to their absolute best. This most modest of men was at his happiest with a stopwatch in his hand, standing trackside.” More

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      Meet Tanja Lamby, the stunning high jump athlete taking TikTok by storm who fans can’t get enough of

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      TANJA LAMBY is the stunning high jump athlete taking TikTok by storm.The Cypriot has already represented her country on the world stage, and is only just getting started.
      Tanja Lamby has been taking TikTok by stormCredit: https://www.instagram.com/despoina.charalambous/
      Tanja is also known as Despoina CharalambousCredit: https://www.instagram.com/despoina.charalambous/
      Tanja competed at last year’s Commonwealth GamesCredit: AFP
      Lamby, 22, was part of the Cyprus team that competed at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.
      And she was full of praise for the atmosphere provided by England’s second city.
      She said: “(There was an) Incredible atmosphere and [I made] memories I will never forget!”
      Born Despoina Charalambous, she is sometimes known as Tanja Lamby for short.
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      And videos of her competing have gone viral on TikTok, with fans on the platform instantly taking a shine to her.
      One wrote: “Wonderful.”
      A second added: “You shine.”
      Tanja has always shown plenty of ambition in her field.
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      While making her way through the high jumping ranks in 2021, she wrote on Instagram: “Ending the season with a memorable experience I will never forget.
      “I can always be better, go higher, achieve more, but I can’t be anything less than satisfied with myself and my performance.
      “I keep the 9th place u23 in Europe, the lessons I learnt and have to work on and the memories that will forever be with me.
      “I want to thank my coach @charalambousagni, my family and friends for the support. Thank you Tallinn. It was unreal!”
      Tanja’s coach, Agni Charalambous, 47, also represented Cyprus on the world stage.
      Agni is a former national champion, and also took part in the 2000 Sydney Olympics – just four months after Tanja was born.
      The 22-year-old has over 24,000 followers on social mediaCredit: https://www.instagram.com/despoina.charalambous/
      The Cypriot likes to relax by the sea in her spare timeCredit: https://www.instagram.com/despoina.charalambous/
      She placed ninth in the Mediterranean GamesCredit: https://www.instagram.com/despoina.charalambous/
      Tanja often updates her fans on social mediaCredit: https://www.instagram.com/despoina.charalambous/ More