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Mike Powell (long jumper)

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Mike Powell
Powell announces at a press conference that he will attempt to break the World Masters record
Personal information
Full nameMichael Anthony Powell[1]
NationalityAmerican
Born (1963-11-10) November 10, 1963 (age 61)[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1]
Weight170 lb (77 kg)[1]
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventLong jump
Coached byRandy Huntington
Achievements and titles
Personal best
Medal record
International athletics competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 0 2 0
World Championships 2 0 1
Total 2 2 1
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Long jump
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona Long jump
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Tokyo Long jump
Gold medal – first place 1993 Stuttgart Long jump
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Gothenburg Long jump
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place 1994 St. Petersburg Long jump
Silver medal – second place 1990 Seattle Long jump
Updated on August 6, 2012

Michael Anthony Powell (born November 10, 1963) is an American former track and field athlete, the holder of the long jump world record, and a two-time world champion as well as two-time Olympic silver medalist in the event. His world record of 8.95 m (29 ft 4+1⁄4 in), set on August 30, 1991, has never been broken.

Biography

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Background

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Powell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Edgewood High School in West Covina, California. In high school, he cleared a height of 7 feet (2.13 m) in the high jump at the CIF California State Meet in 1981.[2] He went to the University of California, Irvine and transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles. Since then, he is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Athletics career

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In 1988, Powell won the long jump silver medal at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.[1]

At the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo, Japan, on August 30, 1991, Powell broke Bob Beamon's almost 23-year-old long jump world record by 5 cm (2 in), leaping 8.95 m (29 ft 4+1⁄4 in).[3] The world record stands, making it the longest-standing long jump world record since records have been kept. The feat earned him the James E. Sullivan Award and BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1991.[citation needed]

He also holds the longest wind-assisted jump at 8.99 m (29 ft 5+3⁄4 in) (+4.4 m/s), set at high altitude in 1992 in Sestriere, Italy.[4] He again won the long jump silver at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.[1] At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, he won the long jump for the second time,[5] and was third at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.

During his professional career, Powell competed in the 1992–93 Foot Locker Slam Fest trying to dunk from the free throw line but failed. Mike Conley made a dunk from the free throw line and won the competition.[citation needed] After placing fifth in the long jump at the 1996 Olympics, Powell retired. He returned in 2001 with a goal of competing in the 2004 Olympics, but was not able to make the American team.

After retirement

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Powell became an analyst for Yahoo! Sports Olympic Track & Field coverage. In July 2009, he announced that he would return to competition and planned to break Tapani Taavitsainen's Masters over-45 world record in the long jump.[6]

At the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho on February 20, 2015, in an official announcement Powell said that he would jump again in competition. On March 7, 2015, Powell entered the Athletics New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Wellington, New Zealand. Each jump in an attempt to break the World Masters record. However, Powell sustained an injury in warm-ups and did not compete.[citation needed]

In July 2016, his daughter Micha Powell was named as an alternate to Canada's Olympic team for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[7] Her mother, Rosey Edeh, ran in the 400 meters hurdles final at the 1996 Olympics.

Since fall 2022, Powell has coached long jump at Azusa Pacific University in California.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Mike Powell". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "California State Meet Results – 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  3. ^ Mohapatra, Bikash (July 5, 2011). "I believed I could break the record: Mike Powell", [rediff.com]. Retrieved on September 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "Long Jump – men – senior – outdoor". iaaf.org. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  5. ^ "Mike Powell". usatf.org. USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  6. ^ Minshull, Phil (July 7, 2009). "Mike Powell aims to return to competition". IAAF. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  7. ^ Hossain, Asif (July 11, 2016). "Athletics Canada nominates largest squad to Team Canada for Rio". Canadian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  8. ^ "Mike Powell - Men's Track and Field Coach". Azusa Pacific University Athletics. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
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Records
Preceded by Men's Long Jump World Record Holder
August 30, 1991 – present 		Incumbent
Achievements
Preceded by Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance
1990–1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance
1993 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
1991 		Succeeded by
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