Jonathan Edwards: Jumping for Joy

"The English school championships," Jonathan explains, "that would be 1984—is a competition for all the English schoolboys to go along and compete. I'd never taken seriously the idea that I could be a really good triple jumper. And I turned up at this competition and won it, totally to my surprise. And it set me on the road, possibly, as an athlete."

Four years later, Jonathan made the jump to the world stage, representing Great Britain at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. But Jonathan would make his biggest mark on the athletics world seven years later.

"1995, the World Championships in Gothenburg, I had a big breakthrough there. I broke the world record once when I went to Gothenburg, and I was kind of the hot favorite. And I had a lot of pressure on me, and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out."

As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about. Earlier in that athletics' season, Jonathan set the world record in the triple jump. When he returned to Gothenburg, Sweden, in August for the 1995 World Championships, Jonathan turned in one of the most remarkable performances in the history of track and field.

"In the first round I broke (my) world record, and I became the first person to jump 18 meters. And in the second round I broke the world record again and became the first man to jump 60 feet. So it was kind of a crazy 20 minutes. I don't think any athlete has broken a world record in consecutive jumps. There's been competitions when more than one world record has been broken by different people. But I don't think any athlete has broken one in consecutive jumps.

"It's weird to be perfectly honest with you. Of all the things I've achieved as an athlete‚ and I've been world champion, Olympic silver medallist and won competitions all over the world—but the thought of being world record holder—that no one has jumped farther than me—is just so odd. I just feel a very ordinary guy. I look at other people, and I think they're really talented. I certainly don't confer that kind of talent on myself. And yet, I'm the world record holder. It's a funny feeling."

So how can someone who considers himself so ordinary, do such amazing things? Jonathan certainly doesn't credit any kind of special training program.

"My training is very basic. A lot of people look at it and think, 'Well he's not doing anything special. In fact he's probably doing less than a lot of people. I'm not a particularly imposing specimen. Like I said, people are stronger than me and faster."

So perhaps there's another reason Jonathan's been able to accomplish these incredible feats. If you ask him, there's a much greater purpose to all this than winning gold medals or setting world records.

"My Christian faith, and my faith in God, is fundamental to everything I do. You know, my mission in life isn't to be the best triple jumper. It's to be the best servant and follower of Jesus Christ that I can be. I think God has given me a talent and through that, a great opportunity to be able to share the Gospel, to tell people about the good news of Jesus Christ—that He came to this earth and died for men and women so that they can be reconciled to God."

"I go into competitions, and I compete as hard as any of them, but with a different motivation. I want to win, of course, but above all I want to glorify God. I want to give of my best and if I win, I win and if I don't, I don't. I see it as part of my Christian journey of getting closer to God and serving Him."

It's obvious that a right relationship with God is what truly matters most to Jonathan. He hopes everyone can experience the love that comes from our Heavenly Father.

"That is the rock and foundation of my life: the fact that Jesus Christ died for me because He loved me because God loved me. And the fact that the creator of the earth that we live in, the person who knows everything, loves me, and is committed to me. I mean it's incredible."