In the history of athletics there are days and marks that remain in everyone’s memory, and one of them is the one that starred American athlete Bob Beamon in the long jump test University Olympic Stadium in Mexico City at the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games on October 18. Beamon jumped like angels to reach a record 8.90 meters, bettering the previous mark by 55 centimeters. A record that lasted for 22 years, ten months and 22 days, until its record was surpassed by Mike Powell at the 1991 World Cup in Tokyo. Powell jumped up to 8.95 meters.
An Olympic record that still stands 56 years later and Beamon’s memory is very fresh. “That day, everything was perfect for me. The wind was perfect. The weather was perfect when I jumped. It rained right after.”
All these years, Robert ‘Bob’ Beamon owns and proudly displays the Olympic champion gold medal in Mexico’68, until the day came when he thought it was time to take it down and, as he himself told AFP, “I’ve enjoyed it too much. It’s time to give it to someone who appreciates it. It’s time for what sending it.”
Beamon thought about the gold medal auction and for this there is nothing better than the prestigious one Christie’s auction house. Experts valued this medal between $400,000 and $600,000 and finally the price was ‘only’ $441,000.
After the auction, Beamon himself, at the age of 77, made the following statement: “This is a great way to display the medal, but also to preserve its memory.” I hope that the current owner of the medal “understands the importance of the athletic feat.”
The Christie’s auction house He refused to reveal the name of the buyer of the historic long jump gold medal from Mexico’86, a moment that Beamon summed up in these words: “I was surprised that it was not just a jump, it was a rare moment in history.”
Born in Queens, New York, Robert Beamon He was less than a year old when his mother died of tuberculosis, and he never met his father and beyond athletics he always had and still has a strong passion for music. “I was lucky enough to record an album with a so-called jazz, funk and hip-hop group Stix Bones and the Bone Squad. And I’m happy with it.” Album title: “Olympic Soul“. Can’t be someone else.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Jason Root, a professional writer working with Today Times Live, the premier news website. I specialize in sports writing, covering the biggest stories in the world of athletics. With an eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I provide engaging and informative articles that capture the key elements of any event or issue. My work has been featured on numerous respected websites and publications around the world.
