Back to World Records

Before the establishment of the IAAF and the official ratification system, the men’s triple jump World Record progression reflected the gradual standardisation of one of athletics’ most technically complex events. Throughout much of the nineteenth century, different jumping styles coexisted, with several early performances achieved using variations such as “two hops and a jump”. In Great Britain, particularly at the Scottish Border Games, the hop, step and leap technique gradually became established and formed the basis of the modern event. Distances improved steadily from Andrew Beattie’s 12.95 metres in 1826 to marks approaching 15 metres by the end of the century.

The years immediately before the creation of the IAAF saw the event become increasingly standardised under internationally accepted rules. Irishman Peter O’Connor became the first athlete to surpass 15 metres with his historic 15.52m jump in 1901, a performance that remained unsurpassed for more than two decades and was later recognised as the first official IAAF World Record in 1912. His achievement marked the transition from the experimental era of triple jumping to the modern World Record progression.

Triple Jump Men World Record Progression – Data Table

Performance	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Competition	Notes
18.16	Jonathan Edwards	GBR	7/8/1995	Göteborg	IAAF World Championships
18.29	Jonathan Edwards	GBR	7/8/1995	Göteborg	IAAF World Championships
17.98	Jonathan Edwards	GBR	18/7/1995	Salamanca	International Meeting
17.97	Willie Banks	USA	16/6/1985	Indianapolis	TAC Championships
17.89	João Carlos De Oliveira	BRA	15/10/1975	Ciudad de México	Pan American Games
17.44	Viktor Saneyev	URS	17/10/1972	Sukhumi	Saneyev Cup
17.40	Pedro Pérez	CUB	5/8/1971	Cali	Pan American Games
17.22	Giuseppe Gentile	ITA	17/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
17.23	Viktor Saneyev	URS	17/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
17.27	Nelson Prudêncio	BRA	17/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
17.39	Viktor Saneyev	URS	17/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
17.10	Giuseppe Gentile	ITA	16/10/1968	Ciudad de México	The XIX Olympic Games
17.03	Józef Szmidt	POL	5/8/1960	Olsztyn	Polish Championships
16.70	Oleg Fyodoseyev	URS	3/5/1959	Nalchik	Spring Competition
16.59	Oleg Ryakhovskiy	URS	28/7/1958	Moskva	URS-USA Int. Match
16.56	Adhemar Ferreira Da Silva	BRA	16/3/1955	Ciudad de México	Pan American Games
16.23	Leonid Shcherbakov	URS	19/7/1953	Moskva	Dynamo Competition
16.12	Adhemar Ferreira Da Silva	BRA	23/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games
16.22	Adhemar Ferreira Da Silva	BRA	23/7/1952	Helsinki	The XV Olympic Games
16.01	Adhemar Ferreira Da Silva	BRA	30/9/1951	Rio de Janeiro	National Meeting
16.00	Adhemar Ferreira Da Silva	BRA	3/12/1950	São Paulo	National Meeting
16.00	Naoto Tajima	JPN	6/8/1936	Berlin	The XI Olympic Games
15.78	Jack Metcalfe	AUS	14/12/1935	Sydney	Meeting
15.72	Chuhei Nambu	JPN	4/8/1932	Los Angeles	The X Olympic Games
15.58	Mikio Oda	JPN	27/10/1931	Tokyo	JPN Studets Match
15.52	Nick Winter	AUS	12/7/1924	Paris	The VIII Olympic Games
15.52	Dan Ahearn	GBI	30/5/1911	New York	Meeting	This was the first officially recognised IAAF World Record, initially under the incorrect date of 31 July 1909.

• World Athletics – HERITAGE, Progression of World Records, Edited by Richard Hymans (ATFS) , 2024 Edition.
• World Athletics – World Records Progression
• World Athletics – Athletes Data Base
• Müller Stefan, Progression of world records (2025-10-07)

See also: [Men’s Long Jump WR Progression][Women’s Triple Jump WR Progression]