Triple jump

Technique

Approach

The approach is one of the most important parts of an athlete's jump. The athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark, from which the triple jump is measured. The takeoff mark is commonly either a piece of wood or similar material embedded in the runway, or a rectangle painted on the runway surface. In modern championships, a strip of plasticine, tape, or modeling clay is attached to the far edge of the board to record athletes overstepping or "scratching" the mark, defined by the trailing edge of the board. These boards are placed at different places on the runway depending on how far the athlete can jump. Typically the boards are set 40 feet (12 m), 32 feet (9.8 m), and 24 feet (7.3 m) from the pit. These are the most common boards seen at the high school and junior levels, but boards can be placed anywhere on the runway. There are three phases of the triple jump: the "hop" phase, the "bound" or "step" phase, and the "jump" phase. They all play an important role in the jump itself. These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence. The athlete has to maintain a good speed through each phase. They should also try to stay consistent to avoid fouls.

Hop

The hop begins with the athlete jumping from the take-off board on one leg, which for descriptive purposes, will be the right leg. Precise placement of the foot on the take-off is important for the athlete to avoid a foul. The objective of the first phase is to hop out, with athletes focusing all momentum forward. The hop landing phase is very active, involving a powerful backward "pawing" action of the right leg, with the right take-off foot landing heel first on the runway.

Step

The hop landing also marks the beginning of the step phase, where the athlete utilizes the backward momentum of the right leg to immediately execute a powerful jump forward and upwards, the left leg assisting the take-off with a hip flexion thrust similar to a bounding motion. This leads to the step-phase mid-air position, with the right take-off leg trailing flexed at the knee, and the left leg now leading flexed at the hip and knee. The jumper then holds this position for as long as possible, before extending the knee of the leading left leg and then immediately beginning a powerful backward motion of the whole left leg, again landing on the runway with a powerful backward pawing action. The takeoff leg should be fully extended with the drive leg thigh just below parallel to the ground. The takeoff leg stays extended behind the body with the heel held high. The drive leg extends with a flexed ankle and snaps downward for a quick transition into the jump phase. The athlete tries to take the farthest step they can while maintaining balance and control, using techniques such as pulling their leg up as high as possible.

Jump

The step landing forms the take-off of the final phase (the jump), where the athlete utilizes the backward force from the left leg to take off again. The jump phase is very similar to the long jump although most athletes have lost too much speed by this time to manage a full hitch kick, and mostly used is a hang or sail technique.

When landing in the sand-filled pit, the jumper should aim to avoid sitting back on landing or placing either hand behind the feet. The sandpit usually begins 13m from the take-off board for male international competition or 11m from the board for international female and club-level male competition. Each phase of the triple jump should get progressively higher, and there should be a regular rhythm to the three landings.

Foul

A "foul", also known as a "scratch", or missed jump, occurs when a jumper oversteps the takeoff mark, misses the pit entirely, does not use the correct foot sequence throughout the phases, or does not perform the attempt in the allotted amount of time (usually about 90 seconds). When a jumper "scratches", the seated official will raise a red flag, and the jumper who was "on deck", or up next, prepares to jump.

It shall not be considered a foul if an athlete while jumping, should touch or scrape the ground with his/her "sleeping leg". Also called a "scrape foul", "sleeping leg" touch violations were ruled as fouls before the mid-1980s. The IAAF changed the rules following outrage at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow when Soviet field officials in the men's triple jump final ruled as foul eight of the twelve jumps made by two leading competitors (from Brazil and Australia) thus helping two Soviet jumpers win the gold and silver medals.

Records

• Updated 21 May 2026.

All-time top 25

• As of August 2026.

Men (outdoor)

Ancillary marks

Jumps made en route to final marks that would be top 25 performances:

• Jonathan Edwards also jumped 18.16 (+1.3) in Gothenburg, Sweden on 7 August 1995.
• Christian Taylor also jumped 18.02 (+0.8) in Lausanne, Switzerland on 9 July 2015.
• Kenny Harrison also jumped 17.99 (−0.1) in Atlanta, Georgia on 27 July 1996.
• Jordan Díaz also jumped 17.96 (−0.3) in Rome, Italy on 11 June 2024.

Assisted marks

Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list of wind-assisted jumps (equal or superior to 17.77 m). Only the best assisted mark that is superior to the legal best is shown:

• Jonathan Edwards jumped 18.43 (+2.4) in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France on 25 June 1995.
• Willie Banks jumped 18.20 (+5.2) in Indianapolis, Indiana on 16 July 1988.
• Mike Conley jumped 18.17 (+2.1) in Barcelona, Spain on 3 August 1992.
• Yoelbi Quesada jumped 17.97 (+7.5) in Madrid, Spain on 20 June 1995.
• Charles Simpkins jumped 17.93 (+5.2) in Indianapolis, Indiana on 16 July 1988.
• Christian Olsson jumped 17.92 (+3.4) in Gateshead, United Kingdom on 13 June 2003.
• Denis Kapustin jumped 17.86 (+5.7) in Seville, Spain on 5 June 1994.
• Nelson Évora jumped 17.82 (+2.5) in Seixal, Portugal on 26 June 2009.
• Keith Connor jumped 17.81 (+4.6) in Brisbane, Australia on 9 October 1982.

Annulled marks

• Lazaro Betancourt jumped 17.78 (+0.6) in Havana, Cuba on 15 June 1986. This performance was annulled after he failed a drug test.

Women (outdoor)

Ancillary marks

Jumps made en route to final marks that would be top 25 performances:

• Yulimar Rojas also jumped 15.42 (+1.2) in Lausanne, Switzerland on 26 August 2021; 15.41 (+1.1) in Tokyo, Japan on 1 August 2021; 15.39 (+0.5) in Eugene, Oregon on 18 July 2022; 15.31 (+0.2) in Andújar, Spain on 22 May 2021; 15.27 (−0.4) in Zürich, Switzerland on 9 September 2021; 15.25 (+0.1) in Tokyo on 1 August 2021.
• Françoise Mbango Etone also jumped 15.30 (+0.5) in Athens, Greece on 23 August 2004.
• Tatyana Lebedeva also jumped 15.28 (−0.3) in Iráklio, Greece on 4 July 2004.

Assisted marks

Any performance with a following wind of more than 2.0 metres per second is not counted for record purposes. Below is a list of wind-assisted jumps (equal or superior to 15.03 m). Only the best assisted mark that is superior to the legal best is shown:

• Magdelin Martínez jumped 15.24 (+4.2) A in Sestriere, Italy on 1 August 2004.
• Anna Pyatykh jumped 15.17 (+2.4) in Athens, Greece on 2 July 2006.
• Leyanis Pérez jumped 15.16 (+2.3) in Guadalajara, Spain on 23 June 2024.
• Keila Costa jumped 15.10 (+2.7) in Uberlândia, Brazil on 6 May 2007.
• Olga Saladukha jumped 15.06 (+2.3) in Stockholm, Sweden on 29 July 2011.
• Liadagmis Povea jumped 15.05 (+3.1) in Havana, Cuba on 8 March 2019.

Men (indoor)

Only one performance (best) per athlete

Women (indoor)

Only one performance (best) per athlete

Olympic medalists

Men

Women

World Championships medalists

Men

Women

These medalists:

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World Indoor Championships medalists

Men

• ^A Known as the World Indoor Games
• ^B The original bronze medalist (Almir dos Santos of Brazil) was disqualified for wearing non-regulation shoes.

Women

World leading marks