9-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis has slammed World Athletics (WA) after it revealed it’s contemplating a change to one of many sport’s oldest occasions, the lengthy soar.
WA chief government Jon Ridgeon informed the Something However Footy podcast his organisation is testing an thought to remove fouls within the occasion.
A foul known as when an athlete’s foot crosses the road on the picket take-off board, which means a measurement isn’t taken even when they full a soar.
WA needs to have a look at the introduction of a “take-off zone”, the place a soar is measured from wherever the athlete’s entrance foot takes off to the purpose they land within the pit.
Ridgeon has backed the testing of the thought as a method of rushing up competitors.
He claimed a 3rd of makes an attempt within the lengthy soar occasions finally yr’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest had been recorded as “no jumps”.
“That does not work. That is a waste of time,” Ridgeon mentioned.
Ridgeon mentioned the proposed change might make lengthy soar extra “well-liked” and “entertaining”.
“Each single soar counts,” he mentioned.
“It provides to the jeopardy of the competitors, the drama of the competitors.”
Lewis, who gained the lads’s lengthy soar at 4 consecutive Olympics between 1984-1996, is among the many critics of WA’s radical thought.
“You are supposed to attend till April 1st for April Fools jokes,” Lewis wrote on X.
In subsequent posts, Lewis mentioned the introduction of a take-off zone would “remove probably the most tough talent from the occasion”.
He likened the suggestion to creating the basket bigger at no cost throws in basketball “as a result of so many individuals miss them”.
“The brand new board thought won’t work and won’t enhance distances,” Lewis wrote.
“Each one who has ever jumped over 29 ft remains to be alive. Perhaps you need to begin asking them how they did it and cease making an attempt to do every little thing else.”
Lewis isn’t alone in his criticism, with ladies’s world champion Ivana Španović additionally in opposition to the thought.
The lads’s lengthy soar was contested on the first trendy Olympics in 1896, whereas the ladies’s occasion was launched in 1948.
Ridgeon mentioned the occasion’s deep historical past meant he understood why there could be opposition to the proposed transfer.
“We’re a tremendous sport from the standpoint [that] we’re 150 years outdated, OK, and we have a good time that heritage and it is fantastic,” he mentioned.
“However one of many downsides of being 150 years outdated and having such nice historical past is that we’re an innately conservative sport, in all probability like numerous sports activities, notably numerous Olympic sports activities and alter isn’t simple.”
Ridgeon mentioned WA wouldn’t introduce the take-off zone thought if it failed to satisfy KPIs through the testing stage.
