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Article: Ancient Greeks had clever long-jump aids.(The Dallas Morning News)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- November 18, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Long jumpers in the ancient Olympics figured out the right size hand weight to allow them to jump the farthest.
As depicted on Greek vases and in Olympic histories, jumpers carried a pair of stone or metal weights called halteres. The jumper swung the halteres back and forth before takeoff from a standstill, then thrust them forward during the first part of the jump and back behind the body before landing.
Sports exercise researchers from England's Manchester Metropolitan University explain in last week's Nature that jumpers found the right weight to travel the maximum distance without hurting themselves. Using halteres allowed a jumper to change his ...