Mike Powell (athletics)
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| Olympic medalist | |||
| Image:Mike Powell Mike Powell (athletics) |
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| Medal record | |||
| Men's Athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 1988 Seoul | Long Jump | |
| Silver | 1992 Barcelona | Long Jump | |
Michael ("Mike") Anthony Powell (born November 10, 1963) is an American Track and Field athlete.
Mike Powell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
At the 1991 World Championships in Athletics (Tokyo), he broke Bob Beamon's 23-year-old long jump world record by 5 cm (2 inches), leaping 8.95 m (29 ft 4½ in). The world record still stands. His feat earned him the James E. Sullivan Award and BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 1991.
Powell won long jump silver medals at both the 1988 Olympics and 1992 Olympics. As well as his famous 1991 victory, he won the long jump again at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, and came third at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics.
After the 1996 Olympics, Powell retired, but he returned in 2001 with a goal of competing in the 2004 Olympics.
Powell, who attended the University of California at Irvine, is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.
Categories: 1963 births | Living people | Alpha Phi Alpha brothers | American track and field athletes | Long jumpers | African American sportspeople | Superstars competitors | James E. Sullivan Award recipients | World record holders | Athletes at the 1988 Summer Olympics | Athletes at the 1992 Summer Olympics | Olympic competitors for the United States
