Discovery Museum

The second week of the London 2012 Olympic Games has seen some tremendous sporting activity in the Home & Away exhibition at Discovery Museum.

The exhibition shows the length of Usain Bolt’s stride during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with it measuring at a phenomenal 2.95 metres! That is equivalent to 9 and a half feet, or 15 DVD cases lined up in front of each other! Bolt’s long stride length means that he takes fewer steps during the 100m than the other competitors, but contrary to popular belief, it is actually a hindrance at the start of the race as it takes longer to pick up speed. Visitors have been taking on the challenge of jumping the distance, with some impressive outcomes.

The young Aimee Armstrong managed a great distance of 1.25 metres whilst her older brother Kieran Hindson managed an incredible 2.25 metres! 

In between informing the visitors on the way that a game of ‘quoits’ works, volunteer Kate Walker jumped an impressive 2.30 metres with style.

The winner of the Usain Bolt challenge, however, was Sam Huck who managed to jump not only the distance of Bolt’s stride, but to beat it by a clear 2 feet! Bolt had better watch out!

The Home & Away exhibition includes sports played in the region over the past 200 years, draws on local sportsmen and woman who have travelled away to take part in the Olympic and Paralympics and shows off the rich sporting history of the North East.