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Bob Beamon

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Athlete

The Resume

    (August 29, 1946- )
    Born in Jamaica, Queens, New York
    Won the gold medal in the long jump (1968)
    Set a record of 29 feet, 2-1/2 inches
    Inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and Olympic Hall of Fame

Why he might be annoying:

    At age nine, he was regularly skipping school, stealing and getting into fights.
    At 14, he was charged with assault and sent to an alternative school for juvenile delinquents.
    He almost did not make the Olympic finals, having fouled on his first two qualifying jumps.
    After his record setting jump, defending Olympic champ Lynn Davies told him, 'You have destroyed this event.'
    His record was aided by the high altitudes of Mexico City and a maximum permissible tailwind of 2 meters per second.
    Furthering the impression that his record was a fluke, he never jumped over 27 feet after the 1968 Olympics.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His mother died from tuberculosis when he was an infant.
    His stepfather was an abusive alcoholic.
    He lost his scholarship to the University of Texas at El Paso when he boycotted a meet against Brigham Young University to protest the Mormon Church's racial policies.
    Between 1935 and 1968, the long jump record increased by 8-1/4 inches. Beamon added another 21-3/4 inches.
    His world record stood until 1991 and as of 2007 his Olympic record remained unbroken.
    He said, 'My enjoyment is watching everyone trying to beat my Olympic record.... I get excited about that every four years.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 21 Votes: 9.52% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 20 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 30 Votes: 56.67% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 34 Votes: 44.12% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 62 Votes: 45.16% Annoying