Willie Banks
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William Augustus "Willie" Banks III (born March 11, 1956 at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield , California ) is a former American triple jumper .
Banks, who found hurdles, high jump and long jump to triple jump, reached a third place at the US championships in 1976 with a width of 16.77 meters. Just two years later, with a jump of 17.05 meters, he was the fifth best jumper in the world. In 1979 he became student world champion in Mexico City. A jump over 17.20 meters led him to victory. Three years later, he improved the US record to 17.26 meters. In 1982 he won the US runner-up. 17.10 meters were enough for him.
He experienced his career high point on June 16, 1985 in Sacramento , when he won the US championship with a world record of 17.97 m, after which he was voted Athlete of the Year 1985 in the USA. His world record was only broken ten years later by Jonathan Edwards with 17.98 m. To date (2015) Willie Banks ranks sixth on the list of the best triple jumpers of all time.
At the major international events, his successes were much lower. He never won an international title, although he took part in the Olympic Games twice in 1984 (6th place) and in 1988 and twice in the World Championships in 1983 and 1987 . Only at the World Championships in Helsinki in 1983 did he win the silver medal with a jump over 17.18 meters. In 1985, however, he won the World Cup and was also the world record holder that year with a jump of 17.97 meters. In 2016 he jumped 1.73 m high (with only three steps of run-up) and set a new American record in the 60+ age group with a straddle jump.
Banks was extremely popular in the athletics scene. He was considered a joker who made the triple jump sport popular at athletics meetings around the world through his extremely communicative behavior towards the audience. After finishing his sporting career, Banks, father of two daughters, studied law and became a lawyer.
Web links
- Willie Banks in the database of World Athletics (English)
- Willie Banks in the Sports-Reference database (archived from the original )
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://masterstrack.com/three-step-wonder-willie-banks-and-his-m60-american-record/ on . June 7, 2016
- ^ "Willie Banks: He still loves big jumps" by Thomas Bender, Sport-Bild from May 19, 1993, p. 72f
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Banks, Willie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Banks, William Augustus III (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American triple jumper |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 11, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield , California |