Long Jump with a Front Flip

Tuariki Delamere of New Zealand threw a big wrench into the sport of the long jump when he launched into a front flip in competition in 1974. This move can add inches to a jump, although it seems like magic of some sort to us non-athletes. A gymnast would understand, and an article from Wired explains the physics. Anyway, the track and field folks call this a somersault jump instead of a flip, so you know they are completely separated from gymnastics. And they ultimately deemed the somersault jump to be too dangerous, which also tells you they never even watched gymnastics. Something tells me the real reason that this move was banned is because everyone would do it until the long jump would be completely out of reach for track and field athletes who weren't also gymnasts. (via Kottke) https://kottke.org/