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World Athletics’ experimental change to the long jump made its debut at an ISTAF indoor meet Sunday in Dusseldorf, Germany, when two-time world champion Malaika Mihambo won under the new rule.
Mihambo jumped 6.87 meters on her fourth attempt in the absence of most of her international rivals, adding to the German’s wins at meets in Dortmund and Karlsruhe this year.
It was her first win using the new take-off zone rather than the take-off board that has been the norm in this event. Sunday marked the first time the rule was tested on a larger stage, with proponents saying it will cut down on the number of fouls.
“The momentum is much better, as if you’re jumping with just half a foot from the board,” Mihambo said of the new take-off area.
Many long jumpers are unhappy about the proposed change. Miltiadis Tentoglou, the worlds indoor champion in 2024, said last year that he would rather quit the event than participate under the new rules.
The take-off zone is 40 centimeters long, compared to the take-off board’s 20, and every jump from the zone is measured from the athlete’s take-off point with the aid of cameras, as opposed to the traditional method of measuring jumps from the end of the board. The change eliminates some of the art and science of hitting the sweet spot on the board at top speed for a far leap.
Distances were also measured according to the traditional method from the end of the board for the official world rankings. Dutch athlete Pauline Hondema jumped furthest using the traditional measurement with a jump of 6.65, ahead of Poland’s Anna Matuszewicz (6.40). Mihambo was third with her only valid jump under the previous system of 6.39.
Like Mihambo, her coach, Uli Knapp, was in favor of the new rule.
“It was very exciting for the spectators because there were far fewer invalid jumps,” Knapp said. “It makes the competition more entertaining. I’m open for changes, just like Malaika.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.