As he stood getting ready for his now legendary fifth spherical bounce on the 1964 Olympic Games, Lynn Davies recalled some sensible phrases from his coach Ron Pickering.
“When you’re on the runway, watch the flag on the prime of the stadium as a result of that’s a superb indication of the wind,” he mentioned.
Conditions for the lengthy bounce last on the Tokyo Games had been the worst attainable, with robust headwinds, torrential rain and puddles on the cinder observe.
Davies had overheard the world file holder Ralph Boston inform a staff mate he didn’t assume anybody able to leaping eight metres that day.
But as he watched that devoted flag drop, the Welshman knew his window of alternative had opened.
He tore down the runway, hit the board and launched himself into the sodden sand.
The scoreboard rotated and it confirmed 8.06m.
That distance not solely earned Davies the Olympic title, however the lifelong nickname of Lynn ‘the leap’.