Can Phillips break the world long jump record?
LD: Guys like Bob Beamon, Carl Lewis and Mike Powell are supermen. It really takes a phenomenal talent on the right day and the right circumstances to achieve that and I am not sure if Phillips is capable of 8.90m-plus. I don’t know. I would wait until the Berlin World Championships to see how he gets on there. The distance 8.74m is a phenomenal jump, it is a heck of a long way, but I would put him in the sub-Superman category. He is not quite in the Superman category of 8.90m-plus. However, full marks to him; he has come back after a couple of years away from the scene and he’s given American long jumping some respectability again. He’s certainly capable of being a global champion again. His great strength is his speed. He’s very quick on the runway and very explosive. He has all the qualities you’d expect from a world-class long jumper. In my mind I can see Mike Powell, Carl Lewis and Bob Beamon but for me Phillips is not quite in the same class. ******************** Chris Tomlinson
