It has been 35 years since Mike Powell set the men’s long jump world record, yet no one has managed to break his incredible 8.95-metre mark. The American legend produced the record-breaking jump at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, defeating fellow American Carl Lewis. Powell retired from competitive athletics in 1996, but three decades later, the 62-year-old still believes he has what it takes to jump seven metres, potentially challenge Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall. However, there is one reason why he may not compete against her.

On October 9, Jumpers World shared a post on Threads featuring Powell’s appearance on the JW+ podcast, where the former world record holder spoke about challenging female long jumpers. “I’m going to challenge the women. Yeah, I can beat, I can beat them. I can jump. I can jump seven meters,” Powell said.

The host then asked whether Powell believed he could beat Davis-Woodhall, who has established herself as one of the world’s leading long jumpers. The American first crossed the seven-metre mark on March 26, 2021, when she recorded a 7.14-metre jump at the Texas Relays while competing for the University of Texas.

Before that breakthrough, she had jumped 6.56 metres at the Wooo Pig Classic in January, 6.68 metres at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in February and 6.93 metres at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. Davis-Woodhall has continued to improve since that breakthrough, setting an outdoor personal best of 7.20 metres at the Los Angeles Grand Prix on June 14, 2026.

Looking back on Davis-Woodhall’s journey, Powell explained that he had known the American long jumper since she was in seventh grade. “That’s my girl. We can hook that up,” he said. Rather than claiming he could defeat her, Powell went on to suggest organising a special long jump event featuring Davis-Woodhall and other athletes outside regular competition. He also offered to host the event himself.

“We’ll all put everybody together and make it a show. Give me the mic. I’ll be the emcee. I did it in Bailangazal one year, man,” Powell added. Powell’s suggestion of an exhibition comes as Davis-Woodhall continues to establish herself among the world’s best long jumpers.

Davis-Woodhall has built an impressive record of her own, winning Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games before claiming the world title in Tokyo in 2025. She also earned silver at the 2023 World Championships and has won a World Indoor Championships title. Powell, meanwhile, never won Olympic gold, finishing second at both the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Games. 

While Powell believes he can still jump seven metres, Davis-Woodhall’s personal best stands at 7.20 metres, putting her 20 centimetres beyond the distance he claims he can reach. Interestingly, the American Olympic champion has even bigger ambitions, with her sights set on breaking the women’s long jump world record.

Tara Davis-Woodhall targets long jump world record ahead of LA28

Tara Davis-Woodhall has set her sights on another major milestone after winning Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games. The American long jumper revealed in a December 2024 interview with SELF that she now wants to break a world record, having already achieved her lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic champion. “And I’ve realized what I definitely want is the world record. I can say now, I figured that out,” Davis-Woodhall said. The women’s long jump world record stands at 7.52 metres, set by Galina Chistyakova in 1988.

Davis-Woodhall has already surpassed the seven-metre mark several times in her career. She won Olympic gold in Paris with a jump of 7.10 metres before claiming the world title in Tokyo in 2025. On June 14, 2026, she raised her outdoor personal best to 7.20 metres at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, moving 32 centimetres closer to the long-standing world record. 

The American is also looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where she will have the opportunity to compete for another Olympic title on home soil. However, she has not committed to a specific distance target for the Games. After recording her 7.20-metre personal best in June 2026, Davis-Woodhall was asked about LA28 and replied, “I’m just here. I’m just playing. We’ll figure out LA28 when we get there.” Her comments suggest that, while breaking a world record remains an ambition, she is taking her career one competition at a time rather than setting a public deadline for achieving it.