1991 World Championships in Athletics

1991 World Championships In Athletics

The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.

The event is best-remembered for the men's long jump competition, when Carl Lewis made the best six-jump series in history, only to be beaten by Mike Powell, whose 8.95 m jump broke Bob Beamon's long-standing world record from the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Two other world records were set at the 1991 World Outdoor Championships. Carl Lewis struck gold in the 100 metres, setting a world record of 9.86 seconds while winning his third consecutive World Championship in that event. He earned a third gold medal as a part of the U.S. 4 x 100 relay squad, which won in a world-record time of 37.50, a mark that would be topped at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Two other competitors won their third consecutive world title: American Greg Foster in the men's 110 hurdles and Sergey Bubka of the Soviet Union in the men's pole vault competition.