GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Which foot must land after the hop and the step in a triple jump?
The hop lands on the same foot used for take-off. The step lands on the other foot, and the final jump takes off from that foot into the landing area. The retained rule also says that a touch by the sleeping leg alone is not a failure.
For Track-and-field viewers and new volunteers learning the triple-jump phase sequence. · Updated
Follow the hop, step and jump in order
If a jumper takes off from the left foot, the hop lands on the left foot. The step lands on the right foot, and the final jump leaves from the right foot. If the take-off foot is reversed, the same-foot then other-foot sequence reverses with it.
The phase sequence is only one part of a trial
The rule says a touch by the sleeping leg alone is not a failure. Normal hop and step landings also have a specific treatment under the failure rules. The last jump must land in the landing area.
Knowing the foot sequence does not establish whether a real trial met the take-off line, measurement or every other validity requirement.
A fictional left-foot take-off
A fictional jumper takes off from the left foot, lands the hop on the left, lands the step on the right, and takes off from the right for the final jump into the landing area. The phase labels illustrate the sequence; they do not prove that a real trial was valid.
Related questions
Does the hop land on the same foot as take-off?
Yes. Under the cited rule, the hop lands on the take-off foot; the step then lands on the other foot.
Is a sleeping-leg touch automatically a triple-jump failure?
No. The retained rule says a touch by the sleeping leg alone is not a failure. That does not decide unrelated take-off or measurement requirements.
Sources and further reading
- Competition Rules & Technical Rules (C1.1 & C2.1), retained 2026 text checked 2026-10-15 — TR31.1-31.2, including the Note and explanatory Comments, Triple Jump / Competition, printed p.77 (PDF p.119)..
- Competition and Technical Rule Amendments July 2026 — cover and page 2, CR32 change table; the retained sheet lists a CR32 U20 5000m Race Walk change only and does not amend the event rule discussed here.