The man behind the 'leap of the century'

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Growing up in South Jamaica, Queen’s in 1960s New York, Bob Beamon had a tough start in life. Orphaned before he was one, he got mixed up in gangs but then, when he was a teenager, his extraordinary athletic talent was discovered. Sport offered him a way out from the streets. At the men’s long jump final in the 1968 Olympics he made a leap so jaw-dropping that a new word was invented to describe what he’d done: 'beamonesque'. But as he accepted his gold medal, he questioned what to do with the rest of his life to match that moment. Now, more than half a century after his record-breaking jump, he’s returned to his first love –music – to attempt another kind of record. Producer: Zoe Gelber Presenter: Jo Fidgen Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Bob Beamon. Credit: Getty Images)