Background

Powell was born in Philadelphia. He attended Edgewood High School in West Covina, California, where he finished second in the high jump with a height of 7 ft at the CIF California State Meet in 1981.^[2] He went on to attend the University of California, Irvine, and later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Athletics career

Powell won the long jump silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.^[1]

At the 1991 World Championships in Athletics (Tokyo), on August 30, 1991, Powell broke Bob Beamon's almost 23-year-old long jump world record by 5 cm (2 in), leaping 8.95 m (29 ft 4+1⁄4 in).^[3] The world record still stands, making it the longest-standing long jump world record since records have been kept. His feat earned him the James E. Sullivan Award and BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1991.^{[citation needed]}

He also holds the longest wind-assisted jump at 8.99 m (29 ft 5+3⁄4 in) (+4.4 m/s), set at high altitude in 1992 in Sestriere, Italy.^[4]

Powell again won the long jump silver medal at 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.^[1] In addition to his famous 1991 victory, he won the long jump again at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics,^[5] and came third at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics.

Powell competed in the 1992–93 Foot Locker Slam Fest trying to dunk from the free throw line but failed the attempt. Mike Conley did successfully dunk from the free throw line and won the competition.

After coming fifth in the long jump at the 1996 Olympics, Powell retired. He returned in 2001 with a goal of competing in the 2004 Olympics, but did not make the American team.

After retirement

Powell became an analyst for Yahoo! Sports Olympic Track & Field coverage.

He stated in July 2009 that he intended to return to competition with the aim of breaking Tapani Taavitsainen's Masters over-45 world record in the long jump.^[6]

Powell now coaches long jump at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California.^[7]

At the Simplot Games on February 20, 2015, in an official announcement Powell stated that, at the age of 51, he would jump again in competition. On March 7, 2015, Powell entered the Athletics New Zealand Track and Field Championships, with every jump considered an attempt at the World Masters record. However, Powell sustained an injury in warm-up and did not actually compete. He later stated he would jump again in the future, and he has now registered for the WMA in Tampere in July 2022.^[8]

In July 2016, his daughter Micha Powell was officially named to Canada's Olympic team.^[9]