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Read a long-jump result sheet by finding each athlete’s best valid measured distance, then checking the trial sequence and wind reading. X means a failed trial; a dash means a pass. Equal best distances are compared by second-best marks, then third-best and so on. Wind assistance alone does not make a trial a foul.
Step 1: decode the result-sheet symbols
Read the event heading and legend first. A qualification sheet, a final and a combined-event long jump do not offer the same chances or classify athletes for the same purpose. Official World Athletics symbols have specific meanings; a blank cell on a live website is not a substitute for a confirmed symbol.
| Entry | Meaning | Reader check |
|---|---|---|
| 7.72 | A valid measured trial of 7.72 metres in this example | Use the units in the sheet; a measurement is not a points score. |
| X | Failed trial | No valid distance is credited for that attempt. |
| – | Passed trial | Do not read it as a foul or a zero-metre jump. |
| NM | No valid trial recorded | Not the same as did not start. |
| DNS | Did not start | Check the result status, not just empty trial cells. |
| DQ | Disqualified, with the applicable rule | A distance on an earlier graphic does not override the final DQ. |
| r | Retired from the field competition | Do not assume further attempts remain available. |
| Q / q in a field qualification | Qualified by standard / by performance | These identify progression, not a final podium place. |
A live result may leave future rounds blank. That blank could mean not yet attempted, unavailable data or no further trial allocation; check the actual result service. X is a failed trial, not proof of a particular offence. A board violation, an invalid landing/exit or another rule breach must be confirmed by the officials’ account.
Step 2: find the best valid mark, not an average
The result is the best valid trial, not the average or the sum of the series. If the marks are 7.60, X and 7.72, the current best is 7.72m. The foul does not erase the earlier valid 7.60. A later 7.65 is useful to the series but does not replace 7.72 as the best.
| Athlete | Six-trial series in order | Best | Second best | Illustrative final place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 7.60; X; 7.72; 7.65; –; – | 7.72m | 7.65m | 2 |
| B | 7.72; 7.58; X; 7.68; –; – | 7.72m | 7.68m | 1 |
This teaching example assumes both athletes were entitled to all six trials and no later disqualification or amendment applies. Both have a best of 7.72m. B places ahead because 7.68m is a better second-best than A’s 7.65m. The two passed trials do not add distances or invalidate the earlier series. The example demonstrates the comparison, not a real competition or a complete field of entrants.
Step 3: understand where the distance is measured
Technical Rule 29 measures from the nearest break in the landing area made by the athlete’s body, or something attached to it when it made the mark, to the take-off line or its extension. The measurement is perpendicular to the line. It is not the distance from the foot’s actual launch position, nor necessarily to the heels’ deepest landing mark.
| Situation | How to read it | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Feet land far down the pit but a hand leaves a nearer mark | The nearer relevant break controls the distance | The recorded distance can be shorter than the apparent heel landing. |
| Athlete takes off safely before the board | Measure from the fixed take-off line | Unused board distance is not added back. |
| Scientific measurement gives 7.729m | Record to the whole centimetre below | 7.72m, not 7.73m. |
| First step out is closer to the line than the nearest sand break | Assess the landing-area exit rule | It can be a failure, not merely a shorter measured jump. |
A mark made when overbalancing or walking back within the landing area can reduce the measured distance. When leaving, the first foot contact with the border or outside ground must be farther from the line than the nearest break in the sand. “The athlete touched outside the pit” is not a complete explanation without the location and sequence.
What makes a long jump a foul?
Under Technical Rule 30.1.1, before the take-off foot leaves contact with the board or ground, a front part of that foot or shoe must not break the vertical plane of the take-off line. A loose shoelace alone is explicitly excepted. A hand or arm crossing that plane does not itself establish this take-off-foot failure.
Other failures include taking off outside an end of the board, a somersault in the run-up or jump, specified outside-ground contact before landing, and an invalid exit. Running outside the runway’s white lines or taking off short of the board is not by itself a failure, subject to the listed board-end restriction. Use the officials’ ruling; a skewed television view cannot replace the calibrated take-off view.
Step 4: separate wind assistance from a failed trial
Outdoor wind is reported for the particular jump, in metres per second. A positive value is a tailwind; a negative value is a headwind. A +2.3m/s trial can be valid for placing yet ineligible for a World Record because the tailwind exceeds the limit. Calling that distance a foul confuses execution with record conditions.
| Reported reading | Competition trial | World-record wind condition |
|---|---|---|
| +2.0m/s | Not a foul because of wind alone | Does not exceed the +2.0 limit; other conditions still apply. |
| +2.1m/s or more | Can still count as a valid distance in the event | Exceeds the ordinary outdoor long-jump wind limit. |
| −1.0m/s | Headwind, not a failed trial | Does not exceed the positive limit; not proof of ratification. |
| 0.0m/s | An actual reported zero reading | Not the same as missing wind data. |
| NWI / no wind reading supplied | Check the official sheet and service legend | Cannot assume zero wind or confirm the record condition. |
Competition Rule 31 uses “more than 2 metres per second”. Exactly +2.0 is not above that limit. A measured wind value is recorded in the positive direction to a tenth under Technical Rule 17.13; use the official reported reading, not a guessed unrounded value. “Wind legal” establishes only that condition, not every eligibility, measurement or ratification requirement.
For long jump, the wind is measured for five seconds starting when the athlete passes the 40m runway mark; if the run-up is shorter than 40m, measurement starts when the run begins. Conditions can change between attempts. Do not attach the wind for an athlete’s second-best trial to their winning best, or assume every competitor encountered identical wind.
An athlete’s best valid competition mark and best wind-legal mark can therefore be different. Record or ranking rules are a separate check, and combined-event record conditions need their own framework. This guide does not decide a World Rankings score from the wind column.
Step 5: check the final cut and remaining attempts
In the standard standalone format with more than eight entrants, Technical Rule 25.6 gives everyone three trials and the eight best valid performances three additional trials, unless the meet regulations provide otherwise. An athlete needs at least one valid trial to advance under that format. If fewer than eight record one, only those with valid marks advance.
| Format | Usual rule under the current Technical Rules | Important exception |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone field event with more than eight | Three trials, then three more for the eight best valid performers | Apply countback at the last advancing place; a true remaining tie allows the tied athletes to continue. |
| Standalone event with eight or fewer | Six trials for each athlete | Meet regulations can provide otherwise; three initial failures alone do not remove the later allocation. |
| Qualification session | Maximum three trials to meet the published standard or qualify by performance | Stop once the standard is achieved; separate from the final’s rounds. |
| Decathlon / heptathlon long jump | Three trials only | No extra top-eight long-jump rounds. |
Check the advertised format rather than label every event a six-jump final. Trials in a qualification round do not carry into the final. A Q or q establishes qualification to the next stage, not that athlete’s final medal rank. An equal eighth-best mark is not decided by who jumped first.
How are equal long-jump marks separated?
Compare each athlete’s valid marks sorted from longest to shortest, including repeated equal marks as separate trials. After equal bests, compare second-best, then third-best and continue if needed. This is not “compare attempt two”: an athlete’s second-best may come in any round. Fouls and passes do not contribute measured distances.
If all relevant performances remain equal, Technical Rule 25.22 says the tie remains, including for first place. Do not invent an extra long-jump trial, compare wind as a place tiebreak or apply the high-jump jump-off rules. At the last advancing place after three rounds, a tie remaining after this comparison permits the tied athletes the additional trials specified by the rules.
NCAA.com’s 9 June 2022 account offers a separately attributed historical illustration: Wayne Pinnock and Jeremiah Davis both recorded 8.00m, with 7.96m versus 7.87m second bests. That report is not the legal authority for this World Athletics guide, and the hypothetical table above is not a retelling of that event.
A final check before reporting the winner
- Confirm whether the sheet is qualification, a final or a combined event.
- Find the best valid distances and use second-best countback for equal marks.
- Check the wind attached to the exact trial before making a record claim.
- Confirm that all allocated rounds and any official amendments are complete; a provisional leader is not a verified winner.
For related result literacy, read the torso rule in an athletics photo finish, combined-event scoring and points tables and high-jump ties and countback. The Athletics desk and athletics article archive connect these rules to other coverage.
- World Athletics — Current Rules — CR25.4 symbols, CR31 records, TR25/29/30/39Accessed 2026-10-12
- World Athletics — Long Jump overview — current Technical Rules govern exact thresholdsAccessed 2026-10-12
- NCAA.com — How nine centimetres separated the 2022 Division I title — 9 June 2022Accessed 2026-10-12
This article presents SportsHub4U editorial coverage. Where recorded, supporting sources and their access dates appear below. A publication-control check is not a human reviewer’s endorsement or a guarantee of factual accuracy. See the editorial standard for automation and correction procedures.
