| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Powell at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. |
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| Men's athletics | ||
| Competitor for the United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 1988 Seoul | Long jump |
| Silver | 1992 Barcelona | Long jump |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1991 Tokyo | Long jump |
| Gold | 1993 Stuttgart | Long jump |
| Bronze | 1995 Gothenburg | Long jump |
Michael ("Mike") Anthony Powell born November 10, 1963 is a former American track and field athlete, and the holder of the long jump world record.
Mike Powell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
At the 1991 World Championships in Athletics (Tokyo), he broke Bob Beamon's almost 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, the fourth person since 1900 to hold the record for over 20 years. His feat earned him the James E. Sullivan Award and BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 1991. He also holds the longest non-legal jump of 8.99 m (wind-aided +4.4) set at high altitude in Sestriere, Italy in 1992.[1]
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. He returned in 2001 with a goal of competing in the 2004 Olympics, but did not make the American team.
Powell attended Edgewood High School in West Covina, California, where he finished second in the High jump at the CIF California State Meet in in 1981.[2] He went on to attend the University of California, Irvine and later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles, is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Powell is currently an analyst for Yahoo! Sports Olympic Track & Field coverage.
He stated in July 2009 that he intended to return to competition with the aim of breaking Tapani Taavitsainen's Masters over-45 world record in the long jump.[3]
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bob Beamon |
Men's Long Jump World Record Holder August 30, 1991 – |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Larry Myricks |
Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance 1990 — 1991 |
Succeeded by Carl Lewis |
| Preceded by Carl Lewis |
Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance 1993 |
Succeeded by Erick Walder |
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