long jumper

noun

, Track and Field.

1. a participant in the long jump.

Word History and Origins

Origin of long jumper¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

It started when long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall, who went to school with Heller’s daughter, asked for a diamond Olympic rings necklace in advance of the Tokyo Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times

A letter sent by American long jumper William DeHart Hubbard, the first black athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event, is among rare loans on display.

From BBC

Towns came to life with a long jumper, a lob to Rudy Gobert for a slam and a 3-pointer on a 2-minute burst to give the Wolves the lead back with 4:39 to go on the way to a 10-0 run that Doncic ended with a 3-pointer.

From Seattle Times

The City prelims will feature Jordan Coleman of Granada Hills in the sprints, 6-10 high jumper Deshawn Banks of Birmingham and Carson long jumper Jerald Martin Evangelista, who won the Arcadia Invitational at 23-7¾.

From Los Angeles Times

British long jumper Jazmin Sawyers speaks about "grieving" her chance of competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics after rupturing her Achilles and cultivating an identity beyond sports.

From BBC

More About Long Jumper

What is a long jumper?

A long jumper is an athlete who competes in the long jump, a track-and-field competition in which competitors attempt to complete the longest forward jump with a running start and a single leap. The long jump is sometimes also known as the broad jump.

An attempt in this event (the jump itself) is also called a long jump.

Standard long jumps take place on a track with a running lane, a jumping area or takeoff board, and a sand pit to land in. The distance of the jump is measured from the edge of the takeoff board to the landing spot.

Long jumpers use two main long jump techniques: the tuck (in which the long jumper pulls their knees upward and then extends them at the last second) and the hitch kick (in which the long jumper continues their running motion after they jump in the air and then brings their feet together and extends them in front of them).

The long jump is a track-and-field event in the summer Olympic Games (the Summer Games) and it is also part of the modern decathlon.

The long jump should not be confused with the high jump, which is a track-and-field (and decathlon) event in which athletes attempt to complete the highest jump over a crossbar. Like the long jump, the triple jump also begins with a running start, but (as the name implies) involves three jumping motions instead of the single leap used in the long jump.

Example: I’ve competed as a long jumper, but I want to start training for the triple jump.

Where does long jumper come from?

The first records of the term long jump as a name for the track-and-field event come from the 1880s, and the term long jumper has been used since around that time. An earlier name for the sport, broad jump, is first recorded in the 1870s and is still sometimes used. Other track-and-field terms use the words jump and jumper in the same way, including high jump and high jumper.

A version of the long jump was part of the ancient Greek Olympic Games, where athletes would perform a running jump with weights in their hands. The modern long 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 known—one with a running start and another from a standing position, which was eliminated from the Olympics in 1912. A women’s long jump 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).

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to long jumper?

• long jump (noun)

What are some synonyms for long jumper?

• broad jumper

What are some words that share a root or word element with long jumper? 

• high jumper

What are some words that often get used in discussing long jumper?

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

How is long jumper used in real life?

The term long jumper is the common way to refer to a competitor in the long jump.

Tara Davis #USA the only long jumper so far to automatically qualify at 6.85m. Everyone else’s attempts have been hovering around it.

— Yannick Quintal 🇹🇹 (@yannickquintal) August 1, 2021

Olympic 100m gold medalist Jacobs started as a long jumper. Silver medalist Kerley better known as a 400m specialist. Both transitioned to 100m only this year and they beat everyone.

— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) August 1, 2021

U.S. long jumper Brittney Reese has been racking up individual championship titles for more than a decade. Three Olympic medals, including a new silver one on Tuesday.

Is she the best long jumper of all time? "I am," she said. "Point-blank." https://t.co/2OX1p1qDgl

— NPR (@NPR) August 3, 2021

Try using long jumper!

True or False?

The distance of a long jump is measured from the edge of the takeoff board to where the long jumper lands.