‘It was on questionable ground’ | Relief

Jordan Diaz’s leap of 18.18 meters in the triple final at the last European Championships in Rome, his first international competition in Spain, went around the world and once again opened up the possibility of breaking one of athletics’ most historic records. 18.29 meters Jonathan Edwards. Ivan Pedroso’s apprentice left everyone open-mouthed with his flight that day, but the ‘flying Englishman’, about to celebrate his 30th birthday at the top of the scoreboard, notes that something strange happened on the prepared stage of the Olympic Stadium. .

How great hero and ambassador II Inclusive gamesorganized by the Sanitas Foundation At the base of the Supreme Sports Council in Madrid, the world record holder still visits the relay to express his opinion on this jump, advise the Spaniard to surpass it and, among other things, throws a dart at the current track and field.

A few months ago, in several interviews, you noted that Jamaican Hibbert had the best chance of breaking your record. Having seen Jordan Diaz’s year and his score of 18.18 at the European Championships, have you changed your mind?

Yes, without a doubt, Jordan Diaz was very strong in Rome and Paris… and now he is an Olympic champion. I have to say that what we experienced at the Games was great competition. I think Hibbert was injured and that’s a concern for a young man like him. The last two years at major championships he had problems with injuries. On the other hand, Jordan Diaz had a fantastic year, he jumped over 18 meters in Rome (at the European Championships) and that was obviously something big.

What do you think of Jordan’s jump?

I think it was a questionable surface because it was very springy. But speaking of him as an athlete, I also appreciate his ability to “stand up” at the Paris Games after Pichardo has made a big leap since the start of the competition. I think this is an outstanding achievement, which means he is very talented. The current group of triple jumpers is very strong and could potentially push each other to my record.

So now you think he might be the one to take your record away from you in the future?

Look, it’s not something impossible. I think if you have the right competition in good conditions and if two or three high level athletes push each other, then there is a chance. The last time someone really came close was Christian Taylor (18.21m in 2015) and he was competing against Pichardo. I think it was the competition between them that pushed each other to cover even greater distances. So Jordan Diaz probably has a chance, although Pichardo is also very strong… or Italian Andy Diaz, Cuban Lazaro Martinez and, obviously, Hibbert. And also Zango, who jumped more than 18 meters indoors.

What advice would you give Jordan to help him break the record?

Who am I to give any advice to an Olympic champion? (laughs) I think the key to breaking the world record is speed. I mean, Jordan is an exceptional jumper, he has great rhythm in his jumps… but if he wants to jump further, he needs to be faster. What needs to be improved is not his jumping ability, but his speed.

You were at the Olympic Stadium in Paris, would you want to be there if your record was broken?

Not because of that, but I was very nervous. It was an unpleasant experience. I felt like yes, they could beat this. As soon as the competition started, ten minutes before the test started, I saw everyone warming up and thought, “Oh, I don’t think I want to be here.” Just in case they break the record. But in the end they ended up very far away. It didn’t help that it was raining and it wasn’t a good day. It rained heavily that night.

Why do you think a record in which fitness is so important persists despite current advances in training?

I think because it’s good, it’s a good record. It’s hard to say the explanation. Especially considering all the advances in technology. The shoes are now much better than the ones I had before. So yeah, it’s a surprise. I hope it lasts another year so I can have a 30th birthday party and then I’ll wait.

What was the secret of these 18.29 m?

The basis of my training was strength and speed. I did a lot of weight training, weightlifting to gain strength, and a lot of weight running to gain speed. I think those two things are really important. But I also have to tell those who are trying to copy this method that it is a very difficult undertaking and I do not advise you to train too much. If you exercise too much, you are more likely to get injured. You need to protect your body, so I think it’s also important to approach your training wisely.

In racing competitions, records continue to fall. There are records in competitions such as Sotomayor’s height, Mike Powell’s length, or yours approaching thirty… Why aren’t they broken?

This is a very good question. I think that there may not be many talented athletes involved in athletics now. There are many more sports to choose from, and perhaps many are more attractive in terms of excitement, money and career opportunities. So perhaps we can say that the talent pool is not that good. I can’t say this 100% because it’s hard to say, but athletics is clearly in decline now compared to where it was maybe 20 years ago. So, I understand that perhaps keeping our records is part of this. We have to admit that athletes 20 and 30 years ago, despite the absence of all these technological changes, were very good (smiles). We have Sotomayor with her record since 1993 in Salamanca, or Mike Powell in the long jump since 1991, so she’s already held it 10 years longer than Bob Beamon held his record (between 1968 and 1991).

In addition to Jordan Diaz, Spain has Ana Peleteiro in the women’s category. He has just left his coach Ivan Pedroso after eight years. Do you think this is a good solution?

I can’t say if this is a good or bad decision. Pedroso was a fantastic athlete and had incredible knowledge having grown up in the Cuban system. He has good coaching experience and is a great help to athletes.

In the women’s category there is also the “almighty” Yulimar Rojas, who suffered a serious injury. Do you think he can return to the elite?

Of course it will be hard for her. I believe that even when physical injuries heal, the mental scars still remain. I had surgery in 1999, the surgery went perfectly, but it took me a long time to feel confident in my body. So, I think this will be a big test for Yulimara.