1991 World Championships in Athletics — 1991 edition of the World Championships in Athletics
The 1991 World Championships in Athletics saw Mike Powell break Bob Beamon's 23-year-old long jump world record with a leap of 8.95 m.
Key Facts
- Athletes participated
- 1,517
- Countries represented
- 167
- Powell's world record jump
- 8.95 m
- Previous record held since
- 1968 Summer Olympics
- Event dates
- August 23 – September 1, 1991
- Edition number
- 3rd World Championships in Athletics
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The International Association of Athletics Federations awarded Tokyo the hosting rights for the 3rd World Championships in Athletics. The reunification of East and West Germany in 1990 meant that German athletes would compete under a single national team for the first time since the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Held at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo from August 23 to September 1, 1991, the championships drew 1,517 athletes from 167 countries. The men's long jump produced a historic duel in which Carl Lewis recorded the best six-jump series ever, yet was surpassed by Mike Powell, who leaped 8.95 m to break Bob Beamon's world record set in 1968.
Mike Powell's 8.95 m jump became the new world record in the long jump, ending Beamon's record that had stood for 23 years. The championships also marked the return of a unified German athletics team on the global stage, reflecting the political changes that followed German reunification.
Result
at Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan