Which foot lands where in the triple jump?
B · Beginner · The jump · 2 of 4The hop lands on the same foot that took off. The step lands on the other foot. The jump is then made from that foot into the sand. Getting the order of feet wrong is a failure. Letting the trailing leg brush the ground is not.
How it works
- The hop: made "so that an athlete lands first on the same foot as that from which they have taken off".
- The step: "in the step they shall land on the other foot".
- The jump: made from the foot that landed the step, into the landing area.
- Either foot: an athlete may start from the left or the right. The pattern is left, left, right or right, right, left.
- The trailing leg: "It shall not be considered a failure if, during a trial, an athlete, touches the ground with the 'sleeping' leg."
- Landing on the runway: the long jump rule against touching the runway after take-off does not apply to the normal landings of the hop and the step.
- The take-off area: the strip between the board and the sand is 1.22 m wide and must give firm, even footing.
- Outside the lines: the commentary says it is not a failure, for that reason alone, to touch the white lines or the ground outside them between the take-off line and the landing area.
- The last landing: the commentary says it is a failure if the landing of the jump is not within the landing area.
Tricky cases
An athlete takes off from the left foot. Which foot lands the hop?
The left. The step then lands on the right, and the jump is made from the right.
The trailing foot scrapes the runway during the step. Is that a failure?
No. Touching the ground with the "sleeping" leg is not a failure.
An athlete lands the hop on the wrong foot. Does the jump count?
No. The hop must land on the foot that took off.
An athlete's foot lands on the white line at the side of the runway during the step. Is that a failure?
No, not for that alone.
Why the rule exists
Without a fixed order of feet the event would turn into three bounds of any kind. Landing the hop on the take-off foot is the hard part, because one leg has to absorb the landing and push off again at once.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 31.1; TR 31.2; TR 31.5 |
| A wrongly placed board | If a judge's error makes an athlete land the step in the sand, the referee would normally offer a replacement trial | TR 31.2 commentary |
| Long jump | One take-off, with the same rules for the board, the landing and the measurement | TR 30 |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rule 31 with the commentary printed under it. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).