Wind assistance
Encyclopedia
Wind assistance is a term in track and field
, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge
. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport
.
Due to a tailwind helping to enhance the speed of the athlete in events like certain sprint races (100
and 200 metres
), 100
/110 metres hurdles
, the triple jump
and the long jump
there is a limit to how much assisting wind the athlete must perform under. If a tail wind exceeds 2 metres per second (3.7 kn) the result can not be registered as a record on any level. Note, the results within that competition still are valid because all athletes in a race would get equal assistance, and in field events its is just the luck of the circumstance at the moment of the attempt. This is only in regards to the validation of a record.
The exceptions are the combined events like heptathlon
and decathlon
. Here, the total score may be accepted even though some of the results had a tail wind of more than 2.0 m/s. The maximum limit is 4.0 m/s for any one event, but 2.0 m/s on average across all applicable disciplines.
ran the 100 metres in 9.69 seconds in April 1996 in El Paso
. The result would have been a new world record
, had it not been for the tail wind of >5.0 m/s. This was then bettered by Tyson Gay in June 2008, Gay ran a time of 9.68 seconds with the help of a +4.1 m/s tailwind.
ran in 19.61 seconds in May 1990 in College Station, Texas
, well below the world record at the time but with a tail wind of 4.0 m/s. Also, Michael Johnson
ran in 19.70 seconds on 22 June 1996 during a semi-final race at the US Olympic Trials in Atlanta
with a tail wind of 2.7 m/s. The next day, in the final race, he improved the long-standing world record to 19.66 seconds, which he improved further at the Olympic Games with a 19.32 in the same city in August.
ran a would-be 110 metres hurdles world record of 12.91 seconds in June 1979 in Champaign, Illinois
with a tail wind of 3.5 m/s. Roger Kingdom
later became the first person to break the 12.90-second-barrier, running in 12.87 seconds in September 1989 at the World Cup
in Barcelona
with a tail wind of 2.6 m/s. As of 2008, the world record is 12.87 seconds.
In June 1979, just days after equalling her own 100 metres hurdles world record of 12.48 seconds, Grazyna Rabsztyn
ran the distance in 12.39 seconds in Bremen
with a 2.8 m/s tail wind. The next year Rabsztyn became the first woman to legally run under 12.40 when she improved the world record to 12.36 seconds. Since then, other athletes have registered faster wind-assisted times, but none of them better than the current world record.
became the first athlete to break the 18-metre-barrier in the triple jump, but with a tailwind of 5.2 m/s his 18.20 m jump in July 1988 in Indianapolis
was not recognized as a world record. Mike Conley jumped 18.17 at the 1992 Summer Olympics
, and the tail wind of 2.1 m/s was only marginally non-legal. Jonathan Edwards
, who became the first athlete to legally break the 18-metre-barrier with his current world record jump, jumped 18.43 metres in June 1995 in Villeneuve d'Ascq
in a tailwind of 2.4 m/s.
In May 2007, Keila Costa
became the first South American woman to break the 15-metre-barrier. Her 15.10 m jump in Uberlândia
, Brazil
had a tail wind of 2.7 m/s. Her legal personal best jump was 14.43 at the time, and the South American record was 14.53 metres. The next month Costa improved the South American record to 14.57 metres.
famously jumped 8.96 metres in Sestriere
, Italy
in 1995 to break the world record by one centimetre — however, the result was never accepted due to wind assistance problems. The wind gauge did show a legal tail wind of 1.2 m/s, but this was declared void as someone had been standing in front of the gauge, thereby interfering with the wind measurement and rendering the result unusable.
When Mike Powell
set the world record at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics, moments before, Carl Lewis
broke the existing world record by Bob Beamon
with an 8.91, only to have it invalidated for record purposes by the +2.9 wind. Still in the competition, Powell then needed to jump over the world record, just to win the competition, which he did. And when he did it, the wind had died down to only +0.3, enough to record a legal wind for the record as well. In a later competition, Powell jumped 8.99, only to have it invalidated by a +4.4 wind.
Also, two Oceanian records were not recognized. Gary Honey
jumped 8.39 metres in July 1984 in Sacramento, California
, and Peter Burge
jumped 8.48 in September 2000 in Gold Coast, Queensland
. Both results had too strong tailwind. Only weeks after Burge's jump, the Oceanian record was improved with a legal 8.49 metres jump by Jai Taurima
.
In July 1992 in Sestriere, former world record holder for women Heike Drechsler
jumped over the new (and current) world record mark with 7.63 metres. Like Mike Conley experienced in the triple jump, the tail wind was only 2.1 m/s.
's decathlon
result of 8844 points from June 1991 in New York City
was better than the world record at the time, but not recognized due to wind assistance. The next year O'Brien set a legal world record of 8891 points, which has since been improved further.
In the heptathlon
, wind-assisted series have been rare. Tatyana Chernova
greatly outperformed the current world junior record of 6542 points with a wind-assisted score of 6768 points in June 2007 in Arles
, France. Other wind-assisted series from Arles were recorded in 1987 and 2006.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, which refers to the wind level during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge
Anemometer
An anemometer is a device for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind, and is used to describe any airspeed measurement instrument used in meteorology or aerodynamics...
. Wind is one of many forms of weather which can affect sport
Effects of weather on sport
The effects of weather on sport are varied, with some events unable to take place while others are changed considerably. The performance of participants can be reduced or improved, and some sporting world records are invalid if set under certain weather conditions...
.
Due to a tailwind helping to enhance the speed of the athlete in events like certain sprint races (100
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
and 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
), 100
100 metres hurdles
The 100 m hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by women . For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 cm are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 meters. They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner...
/110 metres hurdles
110 metres hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...
, the triple jump
Triple jump
The triple 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...
and the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
there is a limit to how much assisting wind the athlete must perform under. If a tail wind exceeds 2 metres per second (3.7 kn) the result can not be registered as a record on any level. Note, the results within that competition still are valid because all athletes in a race would get equal assistance, and in field events its is just the luck of the circumstance at the moment of the attempt. This is only in regards to the validation of a record.
The exceptions are the combined events like heptathlon
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
and decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
. Here, the total score may be accepted even though some of the results had a tail wind of more than 2.0 m/s. The maximum limit is 4.0 m/s for any one event, but 2.0 m/s on average across all applicable disciplines.
100 metres
Obadele ThompsonObadele Thompson
Obadele Thompson is a sprint athlete from Barbados;. In 2000, he became the first Olympic medalist from Barbados with a bronze medal in the 100m race.-Biography:...
ran the 100 metres in 9.69 seconds in April 1996 in El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. The result would have been a new world record
World records in athletics
World records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Athletics records comprise the best performances in the sports of track and field, road running and racewalking....
, had it not been for the tail wind of >5.0 m/s. This was then bettered by Tyson Gay in June 2008, Gay ran a time of 9.68 seconds with the help of a +4.1 m/s tailwind.
200 metres
Leroy BurrellLeroy Burrell
Leroy Russel Burrell is a former American athlete who twice set the world record for the 100 meters sprint, setting a time of 9.90 seconds in June 1991. This was broken by Carl Lewis in September at the World Track and Field Championships. In that race, Burrell came in second, yet he...
ran in 19.61 seconds in May 1990 in College Station, Texas
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, well below the world record at the time but with a tail wind of 4.0 m/s. Also, Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (athlete)
Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
ran in 19.70 seconds on 22 June 1996 during a semi-final race at the US Olympic Trials in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
with a tail wind of 2.7 m/s. The next day, in the final race, he improved the long-standing world record to 19.66 seconds, which he improved further at the Olympic Games with a 19.32 in the same city in August.
100/110 metres hurdles
Renaldo NehemiahRenaldo Nehemiah
Renaldo Nehemiah is an American athlete who dominated the 110 m hurdle event from 1978 until 1981. He was the world record holder and the first man to run the high hurdles in under 13 seconds...
ran a would-be 110 metres hurdles world record of 12.91 seconds in June 1979 in Champaign, Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
with a tail wind of 3.5 m/s. Roger Kingdom
Roger Kingdom
Roger Kingdom is a former sprint hurdler from the United States.Born in Vienna, Georgia, an athlete of note Roger excelled at the high jump and discus in his formative years as well as being a noteworthy American football player...
later became the first person to break the 12.90-second-barrier, running in 12.87 seconds in September 1989 at the World Cup
1989 IAAF World Cup
The 5th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 8–10, 1989, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Spain.-Men:...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
with a tail wind of 2.6 m/s. As of 2008, the world record is 12.87 seconds.
In June 1979, just days after equalling her own 100 metres hurdles world record of 12.48 seconds, Grazyna Rabsztyn
Grazyna Rabsztyn
Grażyna Rabsztyn is a Polish hurdler. She set three world records in 100 metres hurdles. On June 10, 1978 she became the first runner under 12.5 seconds with a new record of 12.48 seconds. She had the same time a year later, on June 18, 1979, and finally, on June 13, 1980 she had her best time...
ran the distance in 12.39 seconds in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
with a 2.8 m/s tail wind. The next year Rabsztyn became the first woman to legally run under 12.40 when she improved the world record to 12.36 seconds. Since then, other athletes have registered faster wind-assisted times, but none of them better than the current world record.
Triple jump
Willie BanksWillie Banks
William Augustus Banks III is an American athlete. Born at Travis Air Force Base, California, he grew up in San Diego County and went to Oceanside High School. Banks is an Eagle Scout....
became the first athlete to break the 18-metre-barrier in the triple jump, but with a tailwind of 5.2 m/s his 18.20 m jump in July 1988 in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
was not recognized as a world record. Mike Conley jumped 18.17 at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 43 events in athletics were contested, 24 events by men and 19 by women. The competition ran from July 31, 1992 to August 9, 1992. Fourteen world record-holders were among the contenders...
, and the tail wind of 2.1 m/s was only marginally non-legal. Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards (athlete)
Jonathan David Edwards, CBE, is a former British triple jumper. He is a former Olympic, Commonwealth, European and World champion, and has held the world record in the event since 1995....
, who became the first athlete to legally break the 18-metre-barrier with his current world record jump, jumped 18.43 metres in June 1995 in Villeneuve d'Ascq
Villeneuve d'Ascq
Villeneuve-d'Ascq is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants, it is one of the main cities of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole and the largest in area after Lille ; it is also one of the main cities of the Nord-Pas de Calais region.Built up...
in a tailwind of 2.4 m/s.
In May 2007, Keila Costa
Keila Costa
Keila da Silva Costa is a Brazilian long jumper and triple jumper. She has competed in two Olympic Games, 2004 and 2008, and has reached the final round both there and in World Championships and World Indoor Championships. She is the South American record holder in triple jump with 14.57 metres,...
became the first South American woman to break the 15-metre-barrier. Her 15.10 m jump in Uberlândia
Uberlândia
Uberlândia is the main town in the Triangle region, west of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. With a population of 604,013 inhabitants, according to 2010 estimates, the city is the second largest in the state second only to Belo Horizonte...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
had a tail wind of 2.7 m/s. Her legal personal best jump was 14.43 at the time, and the South American record was 14.53 metres. The next month Costa improved the South American record to 14.57 metres.
Long jump
In the long jump, Iván PedrosoIván Pedroso
Iván Lázaro Pedroso Soler is a retired Cuban athlete, specializing in long jump.In July 1990, still at the age of 17, Pedroso jumped more than 8 meters for the first time. Facing tough competition from Carl Lewis, Mike Powell and others, he still won numerous gold medals in international...
famously jumped 8.96 metres in Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1995 to break the world record by one centimetre — however, the result was never accepted due to wind assistance problems. The wind gauge did show a legal tail wind of 1.2 m/s, but this was declared void as someone had been standing in front of the gauge, thereby interfering with the wind measurement and rendering the result unusable.
When Mike Powell
Mike Powell (athlete)
Michael Anthony Powell born is a former American track and field athlete, and the holder of the long jump world record.Mike Powell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
set the world record at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics, moments before, Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...
broke the existing world record by Bob Beamon
Bob Beamon
Robert "Bob" Beamon is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, which remained the world record for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. This is the second longest holding of this record, as...
with an 8.91, only to have it invalidated for record purposes by the +2.9 wind. Still in the competition, Powell then needed to jump over the world record, just to win the competition, which he did. And when he did it, the wind had died down to only +0.3, enough to record a legal wind for the record as well. In a later competition, Powell jumped 8.99, only to have it invalidated by a +4.4 wind.
Also, two Oceanian records were not recognized. Gary Honey
Gary Honey
Gary Ronald Honey is a retired long jumper from Australia. He won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics with a jump of 8.24 metres....
jumped 8.39 metres in July 1984 in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, and Peter Burge
Peter Burge (athlete)
Peter Burge is a former Australian long and triple jumper. He is most famous for winning the long jump competition at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He retired from athletics in 2003.-Achievements:-Personal bests:...
jumped 8.48 in September 2000 in Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. Both results had too strong tailwind. Only weeks after Burge's jump, the Oceanian record was improved with a legal 8.49 metres jump by Jai Taurima
Jai Taurima
Jai Taurima is a retired Australian athlete who competed in the long jump. He won a surprising silver medal at the 2000 Olympics with a personal best jump of 8.49 metres. This was the Oceanian record...
.
In July 1992 in Sestriere, former world record holder for women Heike Drechsler
Heike Drechsler
Heike Gabriela Drechsler née Daute is a German track and field athlete. She is one of the most successful female long jumpers of all time and also had several successes in sprint disciplines.She is the only woman who has won two Olympic gold medals in the long jump...
jumped over the new (and current) world record mark with 7.63 metres. Like Mike Conley experienced in the triple jump, the tail wind was only 2.1 m/s.
Combined events
Dan O'BrienDan O'Brien
Daniel Dion O'Brien is a former American decathlete. He was deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold medal after winning three consecutive world titles....
's decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
result of 8844 points from June 1991 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was better than the world record at the time, but not recognized due to wind assistance. The next year O'Brien set a legal world record of 8891 points, which has since been improved further.
In the heptathlon
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
, wind-assisted series have been rare. Tatyana Chernova
Tatyana Chernova
Tatyana Sergeyevna Chernova is a Russian heptathlete. She was the bronze medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, where she set her personal best of 6880 points....
greatly outperformed the current world junior record of 6542 points with a wind-assisted score of 6768 points in June 2007 in Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, France. Other wind-assisted series from Arles were recorded in 1987 and 2006.