Selected factors for triple jump preparation: A case study of an Olympic silver medalist

Abstract

The People's Republic of China obtained at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games its best historical performance in the triple jump, thereby winning the silver medal. The objective of this case study was to present how evidence-based knowledge was applied to improve selected factors that may have contributed to this result. The factors included running speed, strength, muscle power, jumping technique, body composition, mental preparation, training organization, and recovery. Short training blocks, monitoring of training sessions and athlete's status, individualized tapering, use of activation sessions the day before competition, and postactivation performance enhancement strategies used in training and at the event were concepts followed during the preparation to the Games. Improved performance in field tests and power training was accompanied by positive changes in approach speed, run-up accuracy, and jumping technique, which, together with mental preparation, enabled two personal records to be set in the Olympic final. The results in the field tests were among the best ever reported and could constitute a benchmark for world-class triple jumpers.

Jumping with control: the interplay between psychological constructs and run-up variability in elite jumpers

“…The relationship between approach speed and performance in both jumps is positive and significant. However, the correlation values are higher in the long jump ( Moura et al, 2005a ), suggesting a more significant number of determining factors in the triple jump ( Hutt, 1989 ; Moura et al, 2023 ). Hay (1993) demonstrated that when studying athletes who participated in both events, approach speeds were higher in the long jump, which strengthens the understanding that it is the characteristics and demands of the events and not necessarily the athletes’ abilities that are responsible for the reduced values of approach speed in the triple jump.…”

“…For each event (training or competition), the standard deviation of this distance for each step is calculated, indicating the accumulated error in that step. Our study measured running variability in the last six steps ( Moura et al, 2023 ).…”

Olympic cycle periodicity in women’s long and triple jumping performance between 1996 and 2019

“…Triple jumping has very high loading on the body, approaching 16 times body weight on a single leg [ 29 ]. This high loading means that the number of full approach triple jumps that are completed in a season is limited [ 30 ]. It is possible that triple jump athletes chose to limit their competitions to major events and take longer periods of time from competition.…”