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The phrase ‘Hop, skip and jump' might be commonplace in everyday jargon. But interestingly it plays an integral part in a track and field event contested at the Olympics and similar competitions. Yes, we are talking about an event in athletics, known to the world as the ‘Triple Jump', where athletes integrate these three typical and continuous movements to achieve a distance. It is akin to the long jump, only that competitors execute a hop and a step before making a long leap into a sandpit.

Like most track and field events, the origins of the Triple Jump can be traced back in history to the ancient Greek Olympiads. There is evidence that the sport existed in some form or the other, similar to how it is practiced today. While there is little dispute that the Long jump was a part of the games, certain records have proven that athletes had recorded jumps which measured more than 50 feet. This, according to sports historians and researchers is testimony to the fact that Triple jump or a similar sport which consisted of multiple jumps did exist.

Some historians have even presumed that the sport may be related to ‘Hopscotch', which is a game most children play in their backyard. The Irish though have a different story to tell. According to Irish Mythology, the Triple Jump or the Geal-ruith was part of the ancient Irish Tailteann Games, dating further back to the year 1829 B.C.

When it comes to the modern Olympic games, the Triple Jump has been a part of it ever since its revival in Athens in 1896. However, it started only as a men's event first where athletes were allowed two hops with the same foot before the third and the final leap. The women's event, surprisingly was added a century later in 1996. In the 1900 and 1904 editions of the Olympic Games, a standing Triple Jump, wherein only a single hop was allowed before the jump, was contested. Nonetheless, it soon took the shape of the modern ‘Hop - Skip - and Jump' style. In this style, the athlete has to typically sprint on a runway towards a take-off mark, which can be simply a rectangle painted on the runway surface or a block of wood planted on the same. As years passed, the wooden board or the paint now have a strip of modeling clay or tape attached to it so as to check if the athlete has overstepped or ‘Scratched' the marked area.

As we spoke about the ‘Hop, skip (step) and jump' phrase earlier, it is how the athletes actually execute the Triple jump. The Hop is where the athlete jumps from the take-off mark after a short sprint with his/her ‘take-off' leg and ‘steps' as far as possible on the runway, but on the other leg, heel first. This follows the jump, where the athlete takes off again from his landing foot and lands inside a sand-pit, as far as possible. This is similar to the way, long jump athletes make their leap. The jump is considered a foul jump if the athlete oversteps the take-off mark, or lands before the sand-pit, or has an incorrect sequence of his feet, or if he/she fails to make the jump in a certain allotted amount of time, usually a minute. Such a foul jump is also known as a ‘scratch'. A seated official raises a red flag to signal a ‘scratch'. To avoid unfair calls or uncertainty, video cameras are used to record ‘scratches'.

The early Triple Jump events were dominated by Athletes from Europe and America. But soon, it was time for the Japanese, who made a mark by grabbing the Gold three consecutive times between 1928 - 36. The most notable of them was a certain Chuhei Nambu whose jump measured a record breaking 15.72 meters in the men's event in 1932. However, records kept tumbling by the year as the event got more and more demanding. The world record jump for men, measuring a massive 18.29 meters is held by Brit - Jonathan Edwards. His record leap in the World Championship remains untouched since 1995. Also, unbelievably, 6 of his jumps feature in the top 11 jumps of all time. As far as the female counterparts are concerned, Ukraninian Inessa Kravets hold the World record, with a jump measuring 15.50 meters recorded in 1995, also in the World championships. Edwards hold the commonwealth record as well, with a jump of 17.86 meters. His British counterpart Ashia Hansen holds the women's Commonwealth record with a leap measuring 14.86 meters.

The previous edition of the Commonwealth games saw another Brit Phillips Idowu come out on top with a jump of 17.45 meters in the men's event, while Jamaican Trecia Smith won the women's gold with a 14.39 meter jump. They would be back to defend their Gold this time around. Now, where does Indian feature in the scheme of things? - a little aloof. India's hopes rest in the hands, rather feet of Renjith Maheshwari and Mayookha Johny, in the men's and women's squad respectively. However, both Renjith and Mayookha would have to better their seasons best of 16.97 meters and 13.68 meters respectively, and by a mile to have the slightest chances of a medal, given the stiff competition from England and Jamaica.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium would play host to the Triple Jump event, come October in Delhi. Will it be a repeat of Idowu's masterclass again? Can Trecia Smith better her leap this time around? Will Indian athletes take the leap to ultimate glory? Well, all you can do is wait and watch as the Triple Jump promises to be a spectacle of sorts at Commonwealth Games 2010, Delhi!

References:

About.com
Britannica
Wikipedia
Delhi Spider
DNA India
Zee News