Bob Beamon Talks About his 1968 Long Jump

At age 22 Beamon entered the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico
City as a favorite, having won 22 of 23 pre-Olympic meets. However once at the Games, Beamon barely qualified for the finals. He fouled on his first two qualifying jumps, then, following teammate Ralph Boston’s advice, he started his jump a foot before the takeoff board and finally qualified.