 Similar to the long jump , the triple jump takes place on a track heading towards a sandpit . Originally , athletes would hop on the same leg twice before jumping into the pit , but this was changed to the current " hop , step and jump " pattern from 1900 onwards . There is some dispute over whether the triple jump was contested in ancient Greece : while some historians claim that a contest of three jumps occurred at Ancient Games , others such as Stephen G. Miller believe this is incorrect , suggesting that the belief stems from a <unk> account of <unk> of Croton having jumped 55 ancient feet ( around 16 @.@ 3 m ) . The Book of Leinster , a 12th @-@ century Irish manuscript , records the existence of <unk> @-@ <unk> ( triple jump ) contests at the ancient <unk> Games . 
