What may an athlete do in the sand after landing?
I · Intermediate · The jump · 1 of 6After landing, the athlete must leave the pit so that their first step outside it is further from the take-off line than the nearest mark they made in the sand. Walking back towards the board and out is a failure. So is touching the ground outside the pit, nearer the board than the mark, while landing.
How it works
- Leaving: "When leaving the landing area, an athlete's first contact by foot with its border or the ground outside shall be further from the take-off line than the nearest break in the sand".
- Which mark: the nearest break may be one made by overbalancing after the landing, or by walking back inside the pit.
- Leaving the wrong way: leaving the landing area in any other manner is a failure.
- Touching outside while landing: it is a failure to touch the border of the pit, or the ground outside it, closer to the take-off line than the nearest break in the sand, in the course of landing.
- Touching outside further on: touching the border or the ground outside beyond the mark, while landing, is not a failure.
- In the air: it is a failure to touch the runway or the ground outside the runway or the landing area after take-off and before first landing in the sand.
- Coming back afterwards: an athlete who has left the pit correctly may then walk back through it.
- When the trial is over: a jump is complete once the athlete has left the landing area, and only then does the judge raise the white flag.
Tricky cases
An athlete lands and walks straight back through the sand towards the board. Does the jump count?
No. Their first step outside the pit would be nearer the take-off line than their landing mark, which is a failure.
An athlete lands near the edge and a hand comes down on the grass beside the pit, level with their feet. Is that a failure?
It depends on where the hand touched. If it was closer to the take-off line than the nearest mark in the sand it is a failure. If it was further away it is not.
An athlete falls backwards after landing and sits down in the sand. Is that a failure?
No. It is a valid jump, measured to the mark made by sitting down.
An athlete leaves the pit properly, then walks back across the sand to collect a marker. Is the jump cancelled?
No. Walking back through the landing area after leaving it correctly is not a failure.
Why the rule exists
The measurement is taken to the mark nearest the board. An athlete who stepped out behind that mark would leave the judges unable to tell a landing from a footprint, so the rule makes the exit itself prove where the nearest mark is.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 30.1.4 to 30.1.6; TR 30.2; TR 30.3 |
| The flags | White for a valid trial, red for a failure | TR 30 commentary |
| The pit | Raked level after every trial | TR 30 commentary |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rules 25.8.2, 30.1 to 30.3. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).