Bob Beamon conferred with special award by ANOC

Fellow atheletics legend Sergey Bubka handed over the award to Beamon

In a glittering ceremony hosted in Washington DC last night by the Association of National Olympic Committees, long jump great Bob Beamon was bestowed with a special Olympic award.

The accolade is even more significant since it comes days after the 47th anniversary of his world record at the Mexico City Games.

While we are on topic its worth remembering that on Oct. 18, 1968, Beamon soared 29 feet, 2-1/2 inches (8.90 meters) on his first jump, shattering the world record by 21-3/4 inches (55 cms), in one of the iconic moments in Olympic history.

Around 22 years later Mike Powell finally eclipsed the world record in 1991, but Beamon’s jump still stands as the Olympic record.

That eventful jump from 1968!

It was thus apt that the legend was the most coveted awardee from the evening at the DAR Constitution Hall. Among the presenters were Pole Vault legend Sergey Bubka and Olympic champions Katie Ledecky and Ryan Lochte.

Apart from the aforementioned, other awards were presented for best male and female athletes from various continental games.

The list of winners is as follows:

2014 Asian Games

Male: Femi Seun Ogunode, Qatar, track and field

Female: Yao Jinnan, China, gymnastics

2015 African Games

Male: Franck Elemba, Republic of Congo, track and field

Female: Marie-Josee Ta Lou, Ivory Coast, track and field

2015 Pan American Games

Male: Thiago Pereira, Brazil, swimming

Female: Kim Rhode, United States, shooting

2015 European Games

Male: Togrul Asgarov, Azerbaijan, wrestling

Female: Katie Taylor, Ireland, boxing

2015 Pacific Games

Male: Ryan Pini, Papua New Guinea, swimming

Female: Jennifer Chieng, Federated States of Micronesia, boxing

Outstanding Lifetime Achievement

Francesco Ricci Bitti, Italy, former head of International Tennis Federation

Contribution to the Olympic Movement

Thomas Bach, Germany, president of International Olympic Committee