The triple jump (sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or, incorrectly, the hop, skip and jump) is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.

The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games’ inception in 1896.

The current male and female world record holders are Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain, with a jump of 18.29 metres (60.0 ft), and Inessa Kravets of Ukraine, with a jump of 15.5 metres (51 ft).

The triple jump, or at least a variant involving three jumps one after the other, has its roots in the Ancient Greek Olympics, with records showing athletes attaining distances of more than 50 feet (15.24 m).

In Irish mythology the geal-ruith (triple jump), was an event contested in the ancient Irish Tailteann Games as early as 1829 B.C.

The triple jump was a part of the inaugural 1896 Olympics in Athens, although back then it consisted of two hops on the same foot and then a jump. In fact, the first modern Olympic champion, James Connolly, was a triple jumper. Early Olympics also included the standing triple jump, although this has since been removed from the Olympic program and is rarely performed in competition today. The women’s triple jump was introduced into the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.