On October 18, 1968, one of the most mythical events in the history of the Olympic Games took place. The New York jumper Bob Beamon He managed to surpass the world long jump record by 55 centimeters and establish a mark that lasted for twenty-three years: 8.90 meters. The flight evidently earned him the gold medal.
A medal to which the athlete, who is now 77 years old, does not seem to have much attachment. Of his own free will, Beamon has decided to put it up for auction at Christies in New York. The price of the object starts at 400,000 US dollars (367,000 euros at the exchange rate) and it is estimated that it could be around 550,000 euros.although anything could happen to get one of the most famous Olympic medals.
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Made of gilt silver, the front cast with the draped figure of the seated Victory, holding a palm in her left hand and the crown raised in her right, the reverse shows an Olympic champion carried on the shoulders of excited spectators in a stadium. The medal has a green ribbon and a wooden presentation case with a brass-covered support, details the specialized website.
The auction will be held next February 1, although it is already open the portal to make offers for the precious good. The protagonist has not made any type of statement regarding having given up the medal in exchange for money.
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This was the jump
80,000 spectators witnessed live a feat that not even the protagonist himself could believe. “How much have I done? I can’t believe it,” Beamon exclaimed when he saw how the judges took more than twenty minutes to certify an unspeakable mark. Few knew at that time that, because of the poor grade he had received in the previous phase, He partied the night before the final and drank several shots.
That was the best thing that happened to me in my life at the exact moment. I wonder if some strange current helped me, but I didn’t see anything, said a Beamon at that time who took the gold by 71 centimeters and who Still, more than 55 years later, it maintains the second best mark in the history of the discipline.
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