Englishman Shatters Triple Jump World Record Twice in One Day

On August 7, 1995, at the World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, English triple jumper Jonathan Edwards produced two of the greatest performances the sport had ever seen. The then-29-year-old became the first man to jump beyond 18 meters and 60 feet, breaking the world record twice in a single competition.

Edwards' first-round jump of 18.16 meters set a new world record, which he then shattered in the second round with an incredible 18.29-meter leap. The Englishman recalls the experience as "surreal," even three decades later. "It's just something completely separate, almost completely other. I mean, it's so far removed from my life now, the thought of jumping that far, being an international athlete, breaking a world record... it is surreal," he says.

Edwards' journey to the top was not an easy one. He struggled as a junior athlete, lagging far behind the world junior record. However, his breakthrough performance at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, where he won bronze, gave him the belief that he could challenge for a world title and the world record. His record-breaking feats in 1995 cemented his status as a triple jump legend.

Despite his remarkable achievements, Edwards is surprised that his world record has lasted this long. In the 30 years since, only a handful of athletes have come close to matching his feat, with American Christian Taylor jumping 18.21 meters in 2015. Edwards believes that the sport's evolution and professionalization should have led to the record being broken, but he remains proud of his enduring legacy.