Gotta See It: Teen long-jumper nearly clears entire landing pit

Juan Miguel Echevarria of Cuba competes to win the men's long jump event at the IAAF Diamond League 2018 meeting at Stockholm Olympic Stadium (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Meet Juan Miguel Echevarría, a 19-year-old Cuban long-jumper who turned some heads this past weekend.

At a Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden Sunday, Echevarría, produced the furthest jump recorded in 23 years, leaping an astounding 8.83 metres and nearly clearing the length of the landing pit, entirely.

Check it out below (Hat tip to Jumper’s World):

Unfortunately, a tailwind of 2.1 metres per second denied Echevarría a place in the official record books, but it was still the fifth-longest jump produced in all conditions, putting him in elite company with the likes of Mike Powell, Bob Beamon, Carl Lewis and Robert Emmiyan.

Had the jump been official, it still would’ve fallen short of the world-record mark of 8.95 metres, set by American leaper Powell in 1991.

Still, for the teen sensation Echevarría, who won gold in the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom in March, this appears to be the promise of a very bright future.

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