Beamon was almost eliminated in the preliminary rounds, fouling the first of his three jumps. Team mate Ralph Boston, the 1960 Olympic gold medallist, intervened.
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"He told me to move it (the starting mark) back a couple of feet," Beamon said. "If I hadn't listened to him I probably would not have made the final."
Rain threatened on Oct. 18, the day of the final, and the first three jumpers fouled. Beamon was fourth and the first sign that something extraordinary was in prospect was the height he reached through the air.
He hit the sand with such force that he bounced out of the pit and officials called for a steel tape to check the distance.
For several minutes, Beamon waited and then, when the metric distance was flashed on the scoreboard, he had to wait some more until Boston converted it into 29 feet 1-1/2 inches. It bettered the previous mark held by Boston and Igor Ter-Ovanesyan of the Soviet Union by 21-3/4 inches.
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