Mike Powell (long jumper)
 Powell announces at a press conference that he will attempt to break the World Masters record. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Michael Anthony Powell[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 10, 1963[1] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Long jump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on August 6, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Anthony Powell (born November 10, 1963) is an American former track and field athlete, and the holder of the long jump world record. He is a two-time world champion in this event and two-time Olympic silver medallist, and has a world record of 8.95m.
Biography
Background
Powell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Edgewood High School in West Covina, California, where he finished second in the High jump at the CIF California State Meet in 1981.[3] He went on to attend the University of California, Irvine and later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Athletics career
Powell won the long jump silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.[1]
At the 1991 World Championships in Athletics (Tokyo), Powell broke Bob Beamon's almost 23-year-old long jump world record by 5 cm (2 inches), leaping 8.95 m (29 ft 4+1⁄4 in). Powell's world record, since August 1991, still stands, making Powell the fourth person since 1900 to hold the long jump world record for over 20 years. His feat earned him the James E. Sullivan Award and BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1991.
He also holds the longest non-legal jump of 8.99 m (29 ft 5+3⁄4 in) (wind-aided +4.4) set at high altitude in Sestriere, Italy in 1992.[4]
Powell again won the long jump silver medal at 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[1] In addition to his famous 1991 victory, he won the long jump again at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics,[2] and came third at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics.
Powell competed in the 1992–93 Foot Locker Slam Fest and successfully dunked from the free throw line.
After the 1996 Olympics, Powell retired. He returned in 2001 with a goal of competing in the 2004 Olympics, but did not make the American team.
After retirement
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (June 2015) |
Powell became an analyst for Yahoo! Sports Olympic Track & Field coverage.
He stated in July 2009 that he intended to return to competition with the aim of breaking Tapani Taavitsainen's Masters over-45 world record in the long jump.[5]
Powell now coaches long jump permanently at the Academy of Speed in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
At the Simplot Games on February 20, 2015 in an official announcement Powell stated that, at the age of 51, he would jump again in competition. On March 7, 2015 Powell entered the Athletics New Zealand Track and Field Championships, with every jump considered an attempt at the World Masters record. However, Powell sustained an injury in warm up and didn't actually compete. He later stated he will jump again in the future.
In July 2016 his daughter Micha Powell was officially named to Canada's Olympic team.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Mike Powell". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Mike Powell". usatf.org. USA Track & Field. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ^ "California State Meet Results – 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
- ^ "0 Toplists lj m – o". iaaf.org. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ Minshull, Phil (2009-07-07). Mike Powell aims to return to competition. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- ^ Hossain, Asif (July 11, 2016). "Athletics Canada nominates largest squad to Team Canada for Rio". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
External links
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World University Games champions in men's long jump | |
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- 1963 births
- Living people
- American male long jumpers
- James E. Sullivan Award recipients
- IAAF world record holders
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Olympic track and field athletes of the United States
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field
- Sportspeople from Philadelphia
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- University of California, Irvine alumni
- UC Irvine Anteaters athletes
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- Track and field athletes from California
- Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
- Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Goodwill Games medalists in athletics
- BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year winners
- Universiade gold medalists for the United States
- World Athletics Championships winners