The Influence on Long Jump Performance of the Aerodynamic Drag Experienced During the Approach and Aerial Phases

Abstract

A new analysis of long jump performance is presented, in which mathematical models of both the approach and aerial phases are considered. Equations describing each phase have been set down and solved by numerical integration. It is demonstrated that both wind and altitude have important effects on long jump performance, and some representative calculations have been made. Increased jump lengths, resulting from wind assistance or altitude, are shown to be primarily attributable to the increased sprinting speed attained during the approach phase. The present work indicates that previous calculations of the increment in jump length due to altitude which Beamon enjoyed when he established his world record at the Mexico Olympics of 1968 may have been underestimated by a wide margin.