At the politically charged ’68 Games in Mexico City, Beamon broke boundaries with a world record jump and a historic stand for equality
In sporting history, certain moments stand out as extraordinary. One such indelible moment unfolded at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where a 22-year-old prodigy from New York, Bob Beamon, made sport’s greatest leap.

Inside the Olympic stadium on the afternoon of 18 October 1968, a track steward summoned Robert Beamon of the USA to take his first attempt in the men’s long jump final. Just days prior, Beamon had overstepped his first two jumps in the qualifying rounds. As Beamon stood at his mark, his singular thought was ‘I will not be denied,’ he tells Christie’s.

With 19 impressive strides down the runway, he hit the board perfectly, ascended into the air like a bird, and firmly planted his feet in the sand six seconds later.

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