天美传媒

On the cusp of the opening of the Rio Olympics, the 听profiled the athlete who still holds the Olympics long-jump record: Bob Beamon 鈥�72.

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Beamon stunned the world when he jumped 29 feet and 2 陆 inches, shattering the previous record by nearly two feet. His record has stood for the past 48 years, much to Beamon鈥檚 pleasure. He does acknowledge: 鈥淗owever, records are made to be broken.鈥�

听鈥淚 think Bob’s feat was equivalent to walking on the moon,鈥� fellow Olympic medalist John Carlos told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 鈥淲hat he did was phenomenal 48 years ago, and it’s just as phenomenal today.鈥�

Beamon said that sports was the hook that pulled him through a difficult childhood. His mother died when he was 8 years old. He grew up poor and, he said, 鈥渨as definitely headed to a life of crime.鈥�

A member of the Adelphi Athletics Hall of Fame, Beamon told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that it was 鈥渧ital鈥� that he earned his college degree at Adelphi.

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