Volkswacht Bodensee - Bob Beamon's 'jump of the century' Olympic gold sells for $441,000

"It's time for me to pass it on," the 77-year-old told AFP, ahead of the award's auction by Christie's on Thursday in New York.

Beamon's historic leap -- technically at 8.9 meters, or 29 feet and 2 1/4 inches -- shattered the previous record by nearly 22 inches. It remained a world record until the 1991 Tokyo World Championships, and still stands as the top Olympic jump.

Amid a growing sports memorabilia market, the experts at Christie's had valued it between $400,000 and $600,000.

"The auction was an excellent way to showcase the medal, but also to preserve the memories of it," Beamon told AFP, adding he hoped it would go to a buyer who "understands the significance of athletic achievement."

Christie's declined to say who had won the medal, which attracted a hammer price of $350,000 -- before taxes and auction house fees.

Beamon said he still remembers the "extraordinary day" that was October 18, 1968, after almost missing the games due to overstepping two of his qualifying jumps.

But "that day... everything was perfect for me. The wind was perfect. The weather when I jumped was perfect," he recalled. "It rained right after I jumped."

"I made a couple of mistakes in the preliminaries and I wanted to make sure that in the finals, I would get a fair jump, a legal jump," he said.

"But to my surprise, it was not only a jump, but it was an incredible moment in history."

C.Stoecklin--VB