Thirty years ago this week, Jonathan Edwards produced one of the greatest moments in athletics history when he set a triple jump world record that still stands today. Competing at the World Championships in Gothenburg on August 7, 1995, the British athlete leapt 18.29 metres with a legal tailwind, surpassing his own previous mark and breaking the 60-foot barrier for the first time.
Edwards arrived at the championships in superb form. He had opened his season with a personal best of 17.58m and, despite an illegal jump of 18.43m in Lille due to a tailwind of 2.4m per second, he went on to break Willie Banks' world record of 17.97m in Salamanca with a jump of 17.98m. In Gothenburg, he began his final with a huge first-round leap of 18.16m, which alone would have been enough for gold.
His second jump, however, was something else entirely. With a visible smile and a point of his finger, Edwards appeared to know something special was coming. He sprinted down the runway and, with a legal wind of +1.3m per second, landed at 18.29m. The crowd roared as the distance was confirmed, and Edwards raised his arms in celebration.
Reflecting on the moment, Edwards later admitted he felt it was 'a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' and that he never had another day like that athletically. He described the conditions as perfect and remembered buying sunglasses at Gothenburg airport to hide the fear in his eyes from other athletes. The record has survived for three decades, with American Christian Taylor coming closest in 2015 when he jumped 18.21m in Beijing.
Edwards went on to win Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000, but that day in Gothenburg remains his crowning achievement. As with other great athletics records, such as Mike Powell's long jump mark and Usain Bolt's sprint times, Edwards' leap appears set to stand the test of time for many years to come.
