Can Dwight Phillips smash Mike Powell's long jump world record?

US long jumper Dwight Phillips launched to a massive 8.74m at the Prefontaine Classic – the longest jump in 15 years. So can the US jumper threaten the iconic distance of 8.95m set by Mike Powell in 1991? Spikesmag.com spoke to Powell himself and other members of the long jump community to check out their thoughts.

Mike Powell – World record holder and former two-time World champion.

Were you surprised by Phillips jump of 8.74m?

MP: I wouldn’t say I was surprised. I’m more surprised by the way he’s jumped this season compared to the last couple of seasons. He opened up with 8.51m and then jumped in the 8.60s. Then I found out he was training with Loren Seagrave (former coach to 1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey) and I thought ‘okay, that makes sense.’

It is not impossible to jump that well when you are past 30 but there has to be some motivational reasoning behind it. He’s been the world champion twice and Olympic gold medalist, too so I think he’s now jumping for the joy of it. He’s always had the talent to jump that far.

What are his strengths?

MP: Obviously, the speed is the key for him. When you can run 10.1 or 10.0 for the 100m that shows you have the potential to bring a lot of speed to the board and also he is a fiery competitor, which is just as important.

Is Phillips capable of breaking your world record?

MP: I think 8.74m speaks for itself. I always said that I was one of the guys who could have broken the world record, and I’m just really blessed that I managed to do it. I could mention (other names that could have broken the record like) Larry Myricks – I saw him jump nine-metres twice, but with fouls. Ivan Pedroso had the potential to do it and so does Dwight. They have always been people who could do it. They just have to be in the right meet with the right situation.

Do I think he is capable? Yes. He’s very capable. And what makes it more likely is the fact that he has Saldino (Irving Saladino the Olympic champion) pushing him. But that also makes me nervous – I have held the record for 18 years and my hope was always to make it 20 years to be out there with Bob Beamon and Jesse Owens. But my record has been living on borrowed time for a long time.

Who would you back to win the World Championships, Phillips or Saladino?

MP: I wouldn’t want to answer that question because I wouldn’t want to motivate either one of them (laughs). It’s like when I was competing I wouldn’t want to get Carl Lewis mad at me (laughs).

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Lynn Davies – The 1964 Olympic champion and UKA president Lynn Davies

Can Phillips break the world long jump record?

LD: Guys like Bob Beamon, Carl Lewis and Mike Powell are supermen. It really takes a phenomenal talent on the right day and the right circumstances to achieve that and I am not sure if Phillips is capable of 8.90m-plus. I don’t know. I would wait until the Berlin World Championships to see how he gets on there.

The distance 8.74m is a phenomenal jump, it is a heck of a long way, but I would put him in the sub-Superman category. He is not quite in the Superman category of 8.90m-plus. However, full marks to him; he has come back after a couple of years away from the scene and he’s given American long jumping some respectability again. He’s certainly capable of being a global champion again.

His great strength is his speed. He’s very quick on the runway and very explosive. He has all the qualities you’d expect from a world-class long jumper. In my mind I can see Mike Powell, Carl Lewis and Bob Beamon but for me Phillips is not quite in the same class.

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Chris Tomlinson – British record holder and world indoor silver medallist

Can Phillips break the world long jump record?

CT: Anything is possible once you start jumping long distances and your confidence is up. Can he break the world record? I don’t know. I’d have to see some more jumps. But in my mind, for a guy to break the world record, he has to be jumping over 8.50m regularly and 8.74m into a headwind is a serious distance.

He is as quick as Dwain Chambers over the 100m, so you can work it out; when somebody is that quick and has his jumping ability they have the potential to jump a long way. I think he is capable of it. But on the other hand so is Saladino (the Olympic champion).