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Robert "Bob" Beamon was born on August 29th, 1946 in South Jamaica, Queens, New York.
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His atheletics capabilities were discovered by Larry Ellis, a renowned track coach when he was in Jamaica High School
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In 1965, he ranked second in the long jump in the United States, and received a track and field scholarship to the University of Texas at El Paso.
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Beamon's world-record jump was named by Sports Illustrated magazine as one of the five greatest sports moments of the 20th century. His world record was finally broken in 1991 when Mike Powell jumped 8.95 m (29 ft. 4 3/8 in.) at the World Championships in Tokyo.
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Beamon entered the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City as the favorite, having won 22 of the 23 meets he had competed in that year, including a career best of 8.33 m (equivalent to 27 ft. 4 in.) and a world's best of 8.39 m.
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On October 18, Beamon set a world record for the long jump with a first jump of 8.90 m (29 ft. 2 1/2 in.), bettering the existing record by 55 cm (21 3/4 in.).
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Beamon is in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, and when the United States Olympic Hall of Fame started to induct athletes in 1983, Beamon was one of the first inductees.
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He is currently the chief executive of the Art of the Olympians Museum in Florida.
