The long jump (formerly called the broad jump) is an athletic event in which athletes attempt to land as far from their take-off point as possible.
Competitors sprint down a runway (at elite level, usually coated with the same rubberised surface as running tracks), jump as far as they can off a slightly raised wooden board into a pit filled with fine gravel or sand. The minimum distance from the board to the indentation made by the competitor in the gravel is measured. If the competitor starts his leap with any part of his foot in front of the board (a layer of plasticine is placed immediately in front of the board to detect this occurrence) the jump is declared illegal and no distance is recorded.
The exact format of the competition varies, but generally each competitor will get a number of attempts to make his or her longest jump, and only the longest legal jump counts towards the results. The competitor with the longest legal jump at the end of competition is declared the winner.
Speed in the runup and a high leap off the board are the fundamentals of success at the discipline, and it is unsurprising that many sprinters, notably including Carl Lewis, also compete successfully in the long jump.
