The triple jump, then

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Why do we have the triple jump? All the other track and field events have an inherent self-purpose that one can understand. Who can run 100m the fastest? Or a mile? Yeah, okay, go on, let's find out. Here's a hammer, let's see who can fling it the furthest! Yeah, alright!

Who can jump longest? Yeah, we want to know that, that might come in handy. But who can hop, step and jump the furthest? Why? Who the fuck cares? What possible use, military or otherwise, does being able to hop, step and jump the furthest have in any other possible situation?

[Gerontophile]

The triple jump, then

Cos the Brits arent bad at it?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The triple jump, then

Nail and indeed head, I expect.

As a related thought why isn't the javelin a target sport? Or perhaps, even, a separate but related discipline? Chucking the thing as far as you can must have been quite a useful skill, when it was used as a weapon in ancient warfare, but surely so too was hitting a target. I'd quite like to see the javelin guys and girls going for an archery-style target on the ground say 60 metres out, as opposed to simply flinging it as far as they can. Would make for a good spectator sport and actually quite a test of skill, I'd say.

[Sits]

The triple jump, then

Perhaps the hop, skip and jump originated during a war, with opposing sides separated by a river, with two stepping stones evenly spaced in the middle.

Or maybe not.

When did the hammer become a ball and chain, and why?

[Gerontophile]

The triple jump, then

Because England beat Scotland in a war, and decided (in their effete-ness) not to allow a nasty big stick to improve anyone's chances of reclaiming their own country, and instead, put the ball and chain around the captives legs, and let them get on with it, with their tights, skirts, and squeally octopuses.

Seems to have worked.

Scotland does not have a hammer champion in the Olympics, or a guy who can hurdle a hedge, police car, and a pissed off-missus.

But we should.

[The Exploding Vole]

The triple jump, then

I'm glad Rogin poses this question.

I am also curious as to what on earth could be "hammered" (apart from an inattentive bystander) with the "hammer".

[The Exploding Vole]

The triple jump, then

I also think MC Hammer should have called himself MC Discus.

[Gerontophile]

The triple jump, then

MC Discuss, shoorely?

(Nice edit Rogin).

The target javelin is a very good idea. Perhaps you could have (in 2012) a running 'immigrant', and have 4 million Tories throwing stuff at him to see who can get him/her on the left nipple. Not sure it would fit in with the Olympic spirit, but it would be well sponsored by the Daily Mail. (If the target was dressed as Lady Di's driver, the Express would sling in a few bob too. And if the winner went into 'Big Brother' immediately afterwards, Desmond would personally give another penny of his Lottery cash to fund another porn mag with his own excited jizz.)

[The Exploding Vole]

The triple jump, then

Of course, deer-shooting used to be an Olympic event.

[ursus arctos]

The triple jump, then

It is supposed to have been part of the ancient Olympics, which is more than enough for it to have been included in the first Athens Olympics and survived to this day.

Given ancient standards of hygiene, one can imagine why it was a useful skill when crossing broad thoroughfares.

[Fussbudget]

The triple jump, then

We used to do triple jump at school and it's miles more fun than the long jump, if that helps.