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It’s not often that a three-time Olympic champion and a one-time runner up says one of her two-bronze medal performances is right up there, perhaps even exceeding the gold medal triumphs.
Carolina Kluft and Jessica Ennis may have added gloss to the heptathlon in the last decade, but the United Sates’s Jackie-Joyner Kersee was the original queen of the heptathlon in the Modern Olympics. Winning silver in Los Angeles in 1984, before back to back golds in Seoul and Barcelona, Jackie was the favourite to capture a third consecutive gold in the same event in Atlanta.
A nagging hamstring injury, which she picked up while qualifying for Atlanta was aggravated when Jackie was competing in the first event of the heptathlon – the 110 metre hurdles. While she finished first in her heat and had the second best time overall, the pain was written all over her face. Walking with a distinctive limp and burying an ice-pack under her tightly bandaged hamstring, Jackie did make her way for the second event of the heptathlon – the high jump. But once there, she withdrew from the event at the behest of her husband. Both Jackie, as well as her husband, sensationally broke down on the eve of the high jump. But she was not determined to bow out of what would be her last Olympics in this fashion. She was back in five days – for the long jump (separate discipline). She was, of course, the champion in Seoul and finished with a bronze four years later in Barcelona, in the long jump.
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Having qualified for the finals with relative ease, Jackie’s tactic was simple and uncomplicated: jump as long as possible, and as early as possible to protect the hamstring. But Jackie was in for a very long and agonising night. She made it into the final cut of eight jumpers, but she was nursing her hamstring right through the way feeding it with bags of ice, whenever possible.
Nigeria’s Chioma Ajunwa (7.12 – 1st jump) and Italy’s Fiona May (7.02 – 2nd jump) set the pace early which meant Jackie – and her troublesome hammy – were always against the run of play. Agata Karczmarek of Poland (6.90 – 1st jump), Iryna Chekhovtsova of Ukraine (6.97 – 4th jump) and Niki Xanthu of Greece (6.97 – 2nd jump) had all registered better jumps than Jackie who was 6th, going into the sixth and final jump. Her best jump was the 6.86 in the third round which helped her gain a spot in the final eight.
Jackie, an Olympic veteran with three golds, one silver and a bronze so far, was feeling the pressure but she also had the proverbial cliche going for her, ‘She has nothing to lose here.’ Burying one last ice-pack under the hammy, she took off cleanly, was suspended in an air for a bit, before landing a very impressive 7.00 metres which placed her in third place as it stood. Ultimately, it was enough to give Jackie a third place finish, against all odds.
A columnist best summed up Jackie’s efforts that day in Atlanta in the aftermath of the Games.
“I may have seen her win gold in different disciplines in Seoul and Barcelona, but I will most definitely remember her winning bronze here.”
| Women Long Jump Olympic Games Atlanta (USA) 1996 |
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Prepared and maintained by Todor Krastev [email protected]Last updated: 29 Aug 2011 |
Source: http://todor66.com/olim/1996/Athletics/Women_Long_Jump.html (Last accessed – 25th July, 2012)
