broad jump

The broad jump is another name for the long jump, a track-and-field competition in which athletes attempt to complete the longest jump forward jump with a running start and a single leap.

Depending on what the event is being called, an attempt in the event (the jump itself) can be called a long jump or a broad jump, and a competitor in the event can be called a long jumper or a broad jumper.

In the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games), the event is officially called the long jump. It is also part of the modern decathlon.

Sometimes, the term broad jump is used to refer to a version of the long jump that’s done from a standing position. This is sometimes used as one of the measures of a person’s overall athletic ability, as part of assessments in physical education or for sports like football.

Example: We did the broad jump in gym glass today, and I had the longest one in the class! 

The first records of the term broad jump as a name for the track-and-field event come from the 1870s. The now standard name for the event, long jump, is first recorded in the 1880s. The names of other track-and-field events use the word jump in the same way, including high jump and triple jump.

A version of the broad jump was part of the ancient Greek Olympic Games, where athletes would perform a running jump with weights in their hands. The broad jump was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every Olympics since. Originally, there were two separate Olympic events—one with a running start and another from a standing position, which was eliminated from the Olympics in 1912. A women’s event was added to the Olympics in 1948. The official name was changed from broad jump to long jump in the 1960s (the name change is thought to have been influenced by a desire to avoid an association with the derogatory slang sense of broad in reference to a woman).

What are some other forms related to broad jump?

• broad jumper (noun)

What are some synonyms for broad jump?

• long jump

What are some words that share a root or word element with broad jump? 

• broad
• jump
• triple jump
• high jump

What are some words that often get used in discussing broad jump?

• track and field
• attempt
• distance
• runway
• takeoff
• tuck
• hitch kick

What are some words broad jump may be commonly confused with?

• high jump

The broad jump is now usually called the long jump, but the name broad jump is still sometimes used, including for the standing version used to test leaping power.

DidYouKnow the long jump was historically called the broad jump? http://t.co/covYJm7G58 #fact #Glasgow2014 pic.twitter.com/BSq5Bmtbs2

— EY UKI (@EY_UKI) July 31, 2014

10 year old Alex jumps a 7’2” broad jump.
In the 2012 Cross Fit Games, Talayna Fortunato won the Women's Broad Jump Event with a distance of 7’9” (2.43m). The standing long jump test, also called the Broad Jump, is a common and easy to administer test of explosive leg power. pic.twitter.com/L6RhycmpAY

— Explosive Mechanics (@ExplosiveMec) March 12, 2020

Number☝️in the Broad jump and i ranked 15th place out of 762 ballers. @FBUcamp #FbuTopGun @JPRockMO @CoachJanes @SirMarcAnthony @bearcatsports @NWBearcat_FB @aaron_ihm @coachjermain pic.twitter.com/3uAugN2KbU

— Victor Anthony Klote (@VKlote) July 11, 2021

True or False?

The name of the Olympic event known as the broad jump was changed to long jump in the 1960s.