Athletes
exert a force 22 times their body in the hop and step phases
Their
bones are stronger and their thigh and shin bones become thicker
Fastest
men and women hit the board around 10.5 and 9.5m per second
Most
men have adopted 'double arm shift' to propel themselves farther.
No
athletes arguably embody Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic motto – 'faster, higher,
stronger' – more fully than those competing in the triple jump.
This
dynamic track and field event comprises an approach run, followed by three
consecutive phases: the hop, step and jump.
The
winner is the athlete whose rearmost mark in the sand is furthest from the
takeoff board.
No
athletes arguably embody Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic motto – 'faster, higher,
stronger' – more fully than those competing in the triple jump. This dynamic
track and field event comprises an approach run, followed by three consecutive
phases: the hop, step and jump. Pictured is Christian Taylor who took home the
gold in the men's triple jump in Rio
WHAT
MAKES THE PERFECT TRIPLE JUMPER?
A
researcher at Loughborough University explains that the landing between the hop
and step phases, while an athlete is competing in the triple jump, can produce
a force that is 22 times their body weight.
In
order to endure such force, the bones of these athletes have to be much
stronger than the average person.
In
addition to being incredibly strong, triple jumpers must also be very fast; the
fastest athletes in the men's and women's events will hit the takeoff board at
around 10.5 and 9.5 metres per second respectively.
The
also be cable of jumping higher in the air, as the higher you jump the further
you will travel.
Research
has shown that, at the landing between the hop and step phases, the force exerted
by the athlete on the ground can be up to 22 times their body weight: imagine
an athlete of 80kg briefly weighing 1.7 tonnes, and having to stand on one leg.
This
is the highest measured force that a human limb is exposed to during any
intentional activity (so not including accidents such as car crashes).
For
this reason, triple jumpers have stronger bones than normal people; in fact,
their thigh and shin bones become thicker and denser in order to withstand the
huge forces that they must undergo during the event.
In
addition to being incredibly strong, triple jumpers must also be very fast; the
fastest athletes in the men's and women's events will hit the takeoff board at
around 10.5 and 9.5 metres per second respectively.
These
speeds are similar to those that will be seen in the long jump finals.
In
fact, it was calculated that the longest hop phase ever measured in the triple
jump (7.02 metres by Kenny Harrison of the USA) would have been equivalent to a
jump of 8.29 metres had he landed in the style of a long jump.
This
would have been enough to win him the silver medal in the long jump at London
2012 – but in the triple jump, he simply landed on one leg and carried on.
Research
has shown that, at the landing between the hop and step phases, the force
exerted by the athlete on the ground can be up to 22 times their body weight.
Caterine Ibarguen (pictured) won the gold with a 14.52m triple jump
Physics
dictates that the higher in the air an athlete travels, the further they will
jump – provided they don't sacrifice their speed.
So,
the athlete needs to carefully balance the speed and the height of their jump,
in order to perform really well.
Because
of this, technique is an extremely important aspect of the triple jump.
This
involves a symmetrical swinging of both arms back and forth during each phase,
rather than the asymmetrical arm swings used during running and walking.
One
of the benefits of this technique is that it allows athletes to spend longer
applying force to the ground and therefore to propel themselves higher into the
air.
Computer
simulations of triple jumping have indicated that this double arm technique is
optimal, and indeed most male triple jumpers now use it.
The
'double arm shift' is not easy to perform; the triple jump is a delicate
balancing act – athletes need to maintain their stability while undergoing huge
stresses and strains, and all during ground contacts of only one to two tenths
of a second.
The
slightest mistake, and the jump will end in failure.
Very
few women athletes use this technique in competition – but if they are to
challenge Inessa Kravets' world record of 15.50 metres, also set back in 1995,
they may need to adopt it.
As
well as the movement of the arms, the proportion of the total jump distance
made up by each phase is also considered to be an important factor in the
triple jump.
Typically,
the step is the shortest phase, making up around 30% of the total distance.
RESEARCHERS
SUPPORT CASTER SEMANYA AND OTHER WOMEN LIKE HER
As
the prestige of international athletics grew during the 20th century, critics
worried that male athletes might commit 'gender fraud' in pursuit of sporting
glory.
In
the 1940s female Olympians were forced to participate in medial exams and
provide records to verify their that they were women.
In
addition to being incredibly strong, triple jumpers must also be very fast; the
fastest athletes in the men's and women's events will hit the takeoff board at
around 10.5 and 9.5 metres per second respectively. Although not a triple
jumper, Caster Semanya (pictured) has extra levels of testosterone that may
contribute to her ability to perform
Many
unnamed female athletes have been dismissed from the sport and banned from
competing due to predispositions such as higher levels of testosterone or an
extra chromosome.
Experts
argue that there has been no limit set on testosterone levels in men and male
competitors are allowed to increase their levels if found to be much lower than
the average.
They
can apply for a 'Therapeutic Use Exemption' that allows them to take medically
prescribed steroids to augment their androgen levels.
Researchers
also say that the Olympics are built on the back of inequality.
Wealthy,
powerful countries dominate the Olympic Games, while conflicted, war-torn,
impoverished countries simply lack the resources to promote sport to the level
that will produce Olympic champions.
Then
athletes either distribute their efforts evenly in the hop and jump – what's
called 'a balanced technique' – or they choose a hop or jump-dominant
technique, where one of these phases is substantially longer than the other.
Recent
computer simulation studies indicated that balanced or hop-dominant techniques
may be optimal, but the current men's Olympic champion Christian Taylor – who
came very close to beating Edwards' world record last year typically employs a
jump-dominant technique.
Whichever
method competitors deploy at Rio 2016, there's no doubt they've been training
to run faster, leap higher, and be stronger than ever before.
And
in that sense, maybe they really are the ultimate Olympians.
Sam
Allen, Lecturer in Biomechanics, Loughborough University
This
article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original
article.
https://youtu.be/rjT_JwRi0oA
