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Serbian long jumper Spanovic hoping to ‘complete her story’ at Paris Games

May 22 (Reuters) – Serbian long jumper Ivana Spanovic said she is hoping to finally secure an elusive Olympic gold medal at her fifth Games in Paris later this year and produce a fitting climax to the story of her career.
Spanovic has had a few near misses on sport’s biggest stage, claiming bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and finishing fourth at the Tokyo Games with a best effort of 6.91 metres.
The 34-year-old has been successful in every other major event she has competed in, winning gold at the World Championships, World Indoor Championships, European Championships, European Indoor Championships and Diamond League.
“Being a part of the Serbian Olympic team for the fifth time makes me extremely proud, and this Olympics should be, so to speak, perhaps the last test in that arena,” Spanovic told Reuters.
“Actually, not perhaps the last, but indeed the last test in the arena, but surely some of my highest ambitions of completing my entire story.”

LONG JUMP AMENDMENT

Should Spanovic return for a sixth Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, she could find herself competing in a markedly different long jump event.
Governing body World Athletics is set to trial an amendment which involves introducing a take-off zone where jumps would be measured from an athlete’s take-off to landing position, getting rid of foul jumps to make the event more appealing to fans.
The proposal has been met with criticism from some athletes, with Greek reigning Olympic and world outdoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou saying he would quit the event if it is passed.
Spanovic said she was also not a fan of the proposal, adding: “Many things are changing, mostly because of TV shows, minutes, and attractions. While we support efforts to increase the sport’s popularity, there are alternative ways (to do that).
“We are definitely not in favour of changing the fundamental beauty and value of a particular sport or discipline in that way, in my opinion, as there is no point.
“The whole allure and fascination, rests in the fact that someone will set a world record or succeed or fail based on accuracy. I could have been an Olympic champion and a two-time or three-time world champion, but I had a minimal foul, so I wasn’t.”
Spanovic also weighed in on World Athletics’ decision to award $50,000 each to the gold medallists at the Paris Games, saying it could be a boon to self-funded athletes.
“I believe it is a nice kind of reward (and a way) to recognise the hard work and dedication of the athletes, teams, and individuals who invest all of their resources to achieving that common goal,” she added.

First 6.00m pole vault celebrated in sculpture – Cultural Olympiad, Paris 2024

The first of three monumental track and field sculptures being temporarily installed in Paris and Strasbourg has gone on public display as part of the celebrations of the Cultural Olympiad of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

World Athletics Heritage and the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) are delighted to renew their cooperation with the sculptor Pierre Larauza, a Brussels based French multidisciplinary artist, by sponsoring the installation of the three artworks.

 

Engaging art

MOWA’s relationship with Larauza began in September 2021 with the inauguration of “30 aout 1991, Tokyo” – a sculpture depicting the world long jump record set by Mike Powell in 1991. The artwork is permanently displayed adjacent to Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium, engaging with the local community.

The artist invites and encourages all visitors, young and old, to jump and measure their abilities with the world record on the 40-metre long jump runway and landing pit, which sits alongside the artwork.

The giant artwork, in concrete and steel, represents the take-off and, at the exact heights and positions of his shoes, the length of Powell’s historic travel through the Tokyo night sky, and his touchdown in the landing pit at 8.95m.

As part of this year’s Cultural Olympiad – Paris 2024, which explores the links between art and sport, a temporary reproduction of Larauza’s long jump artwork was opened yesterday in Zenith Paris La Villette.

Some 1500 children from across Paris took part in this one-day Olympic cultural festival at Zenith, a multi-purpose indoor arena which is one of the largest in the French capital.

 

Physical or mental barriers

One of the other two track and field sculptures by Larauza being displayed in the coming weeks is the “20 octobre 1968, Mexico” (high jump gold, 1968 Olympic, 2.24m) – a tribute to the late Dick Fosbury.

The artwork measures 1.8m x 1.6m x 2.5m and is created in wood, concrete and plaster. It was first exhibited in the Centre Tour a Plomb, Brussels, in 2020, and demonstrates the height crossed by the athlete, against which our body can be measured.

The work is presented as an allegory of the obstacle: this physical or mental wall that we may have been confronted with in our lives, are currently confronted with or will be confronted with one day. What strategy should we choose to break free of it? Fosbury surpassed his wall with the invention of the Fosbury Flop technique.

 

The trajectory of the pole

The third artwork is the “13 juillet 1985, Paris” (pole vault world record, 6.00m, Sergey Bubka) – which represents the world’s first ever six metres vault, which took place in the Jean Bouin Stadium, Paris, in 1985.

This giant 20m x 4m x 6m installation will be publicly exhibited for the first time in June. Larauza will reproduce Bubka’s vault, immortalising a life-size historical movement in sculpture.

This work of art, which is constructed from concrete, steel, stainless steel and foam materials, takes a poetic and documentary look at this exceptional movement by faithfully reproducing the trajectory of the pole.

The exhibition of “13 juillet 1985, Paris” will take place at Carreau du Temple in the centre of Paris, from 26 to 30 June 2024.

The Carreau du Temple, which was built in 1863 as a covered market, has since its reconstruction in 2011 become a prestigious cultural and sporting facility.

Chris Turner for World Athletics Heritage

 

SCHEDULE

Exhibition at the Zenith, Paris

211 Av. Jean Jaures, 75019 Paris.

14 May 2024

Sculpture – “30 aout 1991, Tokyo” (long jump world record, 8.95m).

Exhibition at Carreau du Temple, Paris

4 Rue Eugene Spuller, 75003 Paris

26 to 30 June 2024

 

Sculptures – “13 juillet 1985, Paris” (pole vault world record, 6.00m) and “30 aout 1991, Tokyo”.

Exhibition at Le Vaisseau, Strasbourg

1 Bis Rue Philippe Dollinger, 67100 Strasbourg

21 May to 14 October 2024

Sculptures – “20 octobre 1968, Mexico” (2.24m high jump Olympic 1968 – tribute to the late Dick Fosbury) and “30 aout 1991, Tokyo”.

 

Source: https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/pole-vault-sculpture-cultural-olympiad-paris-2024

Learn more: https://www.adventurefilm.academy/

PHOTOS: Athletes sprint, throw, and jump their way to gold at Maple Ridge meet

Hundreds of athletes from all across the province attended the Eagles Classic track meet at Maple Ridge Secondary on May 11 to compete in events ranging from hurdles to javelin and more.

The all-day competition pits the best of the best athletes in Grades 3 to 7 against one another, with a few of the events also involving masters and open class competitions to include more veteran athletes.

Hosted by Golden Ears Athletics, this was the 18th iteration of the annual track meet, with nearly 1,000 spectators coming out to support this year’s batch of athletes.

Golden Ears Athletics president Phil Pitzey explained that the historic mile run was once again the featured distance race of the day, with perpetual trophies that name past winners being awarded to the fastest mile runner, top thrower, most outstanding individual meet performer, and top team.
The local Eagles athletes had a particularly strong showing, with the following athletes earning top-three finishes:

• Serena Obioha (2nd – U14 Women’s 80m Hurdles, 2nd – U14 Women’s 100m, 2nd – U14 Women’s 100m Final, 2nd – U14 Women’s Long Jump)
Kelechi Obioha (1st – U12 Women’s 60m Hurdles, 1st – U12 Women’s 100m, 2nd – U12 Women’s 200m, 1st – U12 Women’s 100m Final, 3rd – U12 Women’s High Jump, 1st – U12 Women’s Long Jump)

• Elliot L’Esperance (3rd – U11 Men’s 60m Hurdles)

• Zekiah West (3rd – U10 Men’s 60m Hurdles)

• Kaylee Ferguson (3rd – U12 Women’s 600m, 3rd – U12 Women’s 1000m)

• Maeve Jaskiewicz (3rd – U13 Women’s 100m, 3rd – U13 Women’s Long Jump)

• Joe Broeders (2nd – U13 Men’s 100m, 2nd – U13 Men’s 100m Final, 1st – U13 Men’s Shot Put, 1st – U13 Men’s Discus)

• Joel Breedveld (1st – Open Men’s 400m)

• Zachary Edgerton (3rd – U12 Men’s 100m Final, 3rd – U12 Men’s Long Jump)

• Ronan Sullivan (2nd – U10 Men’s High Jump, 1st – U10 Men’s Long Jump)

• Anthony Blackman (3rd – U10 Men’s Long Jump, 1st – U10 Men’s Shot Put)
• Joshua Edgerton (2nd – U14 Men’s Shot Put)

• Bella Zanotto (2nd – U13 Women’s Shot Put)

• Trystan Bakira (2nd – U11 Men’s Discus)

• Kalib Soltesz (2nd – Open Men’s Javelin)

• Cannen King (3rd – Open Men’s Javelin)

 

Source: https://www.mapleridgenews.com/local-sports/photos-athletes-sprint-throw-and-jump-their-way-to-gold-at-maple-ridge-meet-7360081

 

Learn more: https://www.adventurefilm.academy/