When Bob Beamon sailed 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches to obliterate the world record in the long jump at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, it seemed unlikely his standard would ever be toppled.
It was 23 years, in fact, before Mike Powell broke the record in 1991, and no one else has reached 29 feet with a legal jump.
But Beamon, with the 40th anniversary of his leap approaching, believes much more is possible.
Asked last week if a 30-foot jump is within human capabilities, Beamon, 61, said, "Absolutely . . . I really feel there's no limit. I feel 30 feet is there for (someone). It's probably coming sooner than you think."
Beamon, who was honored by the U.S. Olympic Committee in February during Black History Month, said he is rooting for American Dwight Phillips, the defending Olympic champ, to perhaps unleash the next great leap.
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"I don't want them to reach 29 feet, I want them to reach 30 feet. I don't want them to be like me, I want them to be better than me," he said. "I think I will be remembered for '68. But if Dwight comes along and has a 30-foot jump, I wish him well. It's the perfect stage for him to perform at that level."
Phillips said he owns a videotape of the world-record jumps by Beamon and Powell, along with the best performances by Carl Lewis.
"I watch it every day as a part of my motivation. I've watched it a thousand times," said Phillips, whose best mark of 28-2 3/4 is better than every jump Beamon made except one. "Every time I watch it, I think, 'How did that happen?'"
That's what everyone was thinking back on Oct. 18, 1968 when Beamon soared through the thin air of Mexico City to break the world record by 21 3/4 inches. In the span of six seconds, he suspended disbelief and turned the event inside out.
"Compared to this jump, we are as children," Soviet jumper Igor Ter-Ovanseyan said at the time.
Beamon said he got his inspiration while he was attending Jamaica High in New York City. Olympians Ralph Boston, Wilma Rudolph and Donna de Varona visited the campus one day, and Beamon recalls being "completely floored."
If Beamon's mission these days is motivating young athletes, he hit the mark with Phillips, who vividly recalled their first meeting three years ago.
"I've never really been star struck, but, 'Wow, this is the great Bob Beamon,'" Phillips said. "He set the standard so high that even 40 years later athletes like myself are striving to reach that great milestone of 29 feet."
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