Long Jump, by Peter Morford

   Looking back, Don Finney knew exactly when his life changed. He would have been seventeen and competing at his college sports finals. He had two events – the 100 metres and the long jump. He won the sprint easily and he went to get his medal from the great Olympian Mike Powell himself.

   “Mike Powell?” you ask. Look him up and you’ll see that he’s been world record holder for the long jump since 1991. His jump of 8.95metres still stands. But for how long? As he put the ribbon round Don’s neck he said “I see you’re doing the long jump later. Perhaps I’ll see you again.”

  Don won. “Welcome back, Son. I reckon you’ll be after my record. You’ll be bigger than me in a coupla years. If you’re good enough you could get yourself a scholarship at my University– Irvine, California.”

   Don told his parents what Mr Powell had said. His father’s response was “Go for it. Get all the help you can, train hard. It’s a good ambition and we’ll back you all the way. As my dad said to me – go for a win, go on for the record and then – make sure the record’s memorable. It’s not enough to go an extra centimetre – go for a nice round number. You’ve got to beat 8.95? Be the first man to jump 9.5m Being the first man to hit a nice straight number can’t be taken away from you. That guy Bannister was the first to run the sub-4-minute mile. The record only lasted a few weeks but nobody forgets the man who did it first.”

   In the next two years Finney became known and when he enrolled at Irvine he found a dedicated coach and all the facilities he needed. His coach made him faster on the track and trained him to match his strides to the take-off board. Finney’s “cycling” kicks gave him the extra momentum and more length.

  As everyone knows, he just kept winning until, in the Olympics 2016, he hit world fame. He won a gold but the record still evaded him. Men like him are never satisfied. He was already rich; had an athletic wife and sponsorship dollars poured in. All the time he was winning he was haunted by the ideas of being the first man who beat Powell.…

  Mike Powell encouraged him. “I was 28 when I set my record. You’re only 22. Just keep jumping. Aim to peak at the next Olympics.”

  His dietician tweeked his diet, the coach worked on his speed and technique while his psychologist dealt with his doubts. His agent found him a ghost writer for his weekly syndicated articles, booked his TV appearances and took 10%.

  For two years Don Finney, the “Flying Finn,” was unbeatable. He resisted offers to enter other running events, leaving him to concentrate entirely on the long-jump.

   It must have been on his 25 th birthday when he felt the first twinge. .