Think you could manage 18.29 metres in three steps??? (Athletes in General)

Member Name: ross1979

Product:	Athletes in General
Date:	29/08/01 (65 review reads)
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Despite the disgraceful performance of the Great Britain athletics team in Edminton this year, one athlete has consistently produced medals and records which we can all be proud of. Jonathon Edwards shot to fame with his outstanding world record of 18.29 metres in Gothenburg 1995 and, since then, he has won the Olympic Games and European Championships gold medals. He is also an excellent role model for aspiring young athletes in this country - his attitude is spot on!

Edwards, the North-Easts first ever olympic champion, had been triple jumping for a fair while before he became a household name. He was competing internationally as far back as the 1988 olympics in Seoul. His first major medal came in 1990 at the Commonwealth Games with silver and he won the World Cup triple jump in 1992. He went to the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 with high hopes of a medal yet failed to produce, an experience described by the man himself as his worst in athletics:

"It was probably the worst period of my life in athletics. All my hopes and dreams had been blown out of the water."

Yet he typified his dogged determination and spirit by bouncing back to win a bronze medal in Stuttgart in 1993 at the World Championships. He then repeated his Commonwealth silver in 1994 at Victoria. Yet with all these achievements behind him, nobody could have foreseen what was to come the following year.

Edwards had been in scintillating form in the run up to the World Champs. He had already produced amazing performances which were well further than his previous bests. He knew himself that he was in great form but cannot fully explain why he jumped such an obscene distance.

"I was running faster, I was stronger, I improved my technique but it did not add up to what happened. It was still a big surprise to me"

No doubt, when Edwards sailed into the pit for his second world record in Gothenburg, he was thanking god f
or his achievements. He is a devoted Christian and has been since he was very young. His beliefs help him to keep his achievements in proportion and help him to continue even when he is having troubles.

"I made a commitment in my relationship with God to serve him in every area of my life, including triple jump."

There is little doubt that Edward's believes are critical to his athletic performances. He followed his 1995 success with a silver in the Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta. Although, for him, this was slightly disappointing, he managed to keep a positive outlook. He also lost out in the World Championships in 1997. However, he achieved one of his lifetime ambitions with a famous victory at the Olympics in 2000 in Sydney. He followed this with a superb gold in Edmonton this year, Great Britains only victory.

So why does Edwards jump so far? Well, his major assett is his speed and elasticity. If you look at Edwards jumping he looks so much smoother than most of his competitors. This is ensuring the efficient tranfer of the speed and power he has generated on the runway to the next stages of the jump. With his amazing speed, this often results in jumps which leaves the spectators speechless - he is a joy to watch!

With Edwards in his twilight years in athletics, you may think he has achieved everything there is to achieve. This is not far wrong, but he has never actually won a Commonwealth Games gold medal. It may not seem important in the overall scheme of things, but I am sure Edwards will be hungry to put that to rights next year. I think we should all make an effort to get to Manchester in 2002 and support this great ambassador for British sport!

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