The Long Jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far from the take-off point as possible. This event has been an Olympic medal event since the first modern Olympics in 1896 and has a history in the ancient Olympics. The long jump was one of the events of the pentathlon of the original Olympics in Ancient Greece. The long jump was the only known jumping event in these Ancient Olympic Games. All events that occurred at the Olympic Games were initially supposed to act as a form of training for warfare. The long jump emerged probably because it mirrored the crossing of obstacles such as streams and ravines. After investigating the surviving depictions of the ancient event it is believed that unlike the modern day event, athletes were only allowed a short running start. The athletes carried a weight in each hand, which were called halteres (between 1 and kg). These weights were swung forward as the athlete jumped in order to increase momentum. It is commonly believed that the jumper would throw the weights behind him in mid-air to increase his forward momentum; however, halteres were held throughout the duration of the jump. Swinging them down and back at the end of the jump would change the athlete's center of gravity and allow the athlete to stretch his legs outward, increasing his distance.
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Keywords: ability, competition, courage, event, field, fortitude, grit, guts, jump, jumper, long, patience, perseverance, persistence, sport, sports, spunk, stamina, starch, strength, suffering, tenacity, track, vitality
