Hey, some little kids on bicycles can’t be wrong. How can you deny their objectivity and scientific accuracy?
In other words, what makes little kids on bikes better able to measure than an old lady with a tape measure? This thread started out with a vague question, “gap.” Not everyone seems to be thinking of the same thing. If you’re measuring gap, to me that would mean keeping it level. If you introduce drop it changes things around.
The IUF has no standards for an event where you jump with no prehop. Nor can I think of a reason why you’d want to measure the farthest someone can jump using an inefficient method. We have the Long Jump event, which is based on a track & field long jump. How much distance can you clear, on flat ground, between a measured spot and where you land? For increased accuracy, since we don’t make marks in dirt when we land, the most “guaranteed” way to measure this is with sticks. The rider has to clear the starting stick without touching it, and also the landing stick. The actual jump will then be longer, but it will be clearly known to be at least the measured distance (between the sticks). That’s the 2.60m Luts was talking about.
So, unless something longer is known, 2.60 meters is the record for the Long Jump. This is usually a forward hop, but you can gap the sticks any way you want. The IUF also has a High Jump event, which is also designed to be similar to the track & field version. For that you must clear the bar and land on the other side of it. Much harder than just jumping up onto something. IUF does not (yet) have an “up” or “sidehop” event.
