Mike Powell (athlete)

Mike Powell

Powell announces at press conference that he will attempt to break the World Masters record.
Personal information
Full name	Michael Anthony Powell
Nationality	American
Born	(1963-11-10) November 10, 1963 (age 53) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Long jump
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States International athletics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 2 0 World Championships 2 0 1 Total 2 2 1 Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Long jump 1992 Barcelona Long jump World Championships 1991 Tokyo Long jump 1993 Stuttgart Long jump 1995 Gothenburg Long jump
Updated on August 6, 2012.

Michael "Mike" Anthony Powell (born November 10, 1963) is an American former track and field athlete, and the holder of the long jump world record. He is a two-time world champion in this event and two-time Olympic silver medallist.

Powell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Edgewood High School in West Covina, California, where he finished second in the High jump at the CIF California State Meet in 1981. He went on to attend the University of California, Irvine and later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Powell won the long jump silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

At the 1991 World Championships in Athletics (Tokyo), Powell broke Bob Beamon's almost 23-year-old long jump world record by 5 cm (2 inches), leaping 8.95 m (29 ft 4 ¹⁄₄ in). Powell's world record, since August 1991, still stands, making Powell the fourth person since 1900 to hold the record for over 20 years. His feat earned him the James E. Sullivan Award and BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award in 1991.