The 2000 Olympic triple jump champion believes that his longstanding of mark of 18.29m could be broken in Paris

Its not often you break two world records in the space of 20 minutes but Jonathan Edwards did just that at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg.

In the build-up to those championships, Edwards had added one centimetre to Willie Banks 10-year-old world record of 17.97m in Salamanca and looked in imperious form.

In Gothenburg he produced a string of jumps that are still talked about to this day, recording marks of 18.16m and 18.29m, with the latter still being the world record.

Edwards mark of 18.16m was the third best in history until the recent European Championships, where Spains Jordan Alejandro Díaz Fortún originally of Cuba jumped 18.18m.

With current Olympic champion Pedro Pichardo having also jumped 18.04m this season, it means the triple jump final in Paris could be one of the events of the entire Games.

Kenny Harrisons 18.09m from Atlanta 1996 is still the Olympic record but such is the calibre of competition that talk of one of Díaz, Pichardo or another guy surpassing Edwards 18.29m is in the air.

Ahead of the Olympic triple jump final, we caught up with Edwards at PUMA House in Paris on whether he thinks his record could be broken and what winning Olympic gold in Sydney meant to him.

What are your thoughts on the Olympic mens triple jump final? 

I think it will be a very strong final. Itll probably be the best for a number of years, since Christian Taylor was at his peak. I remember he jumped 18.21m at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and that was incredible.

We saw a bit of a preview of this final at the European Championships in Rome, where Pedro Pichardo and Jordan Díaz showed they are in great form. Then there is Jaydon Hibbert and Ove been watching him from afar doing these crazy distances off a short approach. Hes an incredible talent and although he has a few niggles, Im really looking forward to seeing him jump. Zango is also jumping well. If they all push each other then it could lead to something quite special.

Youve got one of the longest standing world records in track and field. Do you think that is under threat tonight? 

Its not impossible it could go. Youve seen how far Díaz jumped in Rome and Pichardo is over 18m as well. It depends on conditions and the wind will have a huge impact. If theres a slight headwind then they wont break the world record but if they have an aiding wind and the competition really hots up then its certainly not out of the question.

Pichardo I think is the class of the field. Hes the reigning Olympic champion and knows how to get it done, which is so important in an Olympic final. Then youve got Jaydon at the other end, who is not even 20 years old and this is his first Games, so its a big step up for him. The competition will be fierce and its [world record being broken] not out of the question.

Why do you think your world record has lasted so long?

Im asked that a lot for obvious reasons and the answer is that I dont know. Theres four mens field event world records from the 1990s that are still standing. Youve got Mike Powell in the long jump, Javier Sotomayor in the high jump, Jan Železný in the javelin and then myself in the triple jump.

Theres one argument that I use, and it doesnt completely hold true because its not the case across all the events, but I think there are so many more options for talented sportsmen and sportswomen to make more money now. I think the talent pool going into track and field is smaller so thats the only thing that I can think of, apart from the fact that its a great record!

Theres this explosion in technology and youve definitely seen that in track events. When you introduce it in field events, yes its about equipment and that can help you, but its about the technical aspect and the ability of the individual.

Theres a pair of the spikes that I wore when I broke the world record at the PUMA archive and they are big, heavy and rigid. They now look historic! However, they worked for me. I was obviously physiologically very suited to the triple jump and thats what made the biggest impact.

How useful was Seoul and Barcelona in preparing you for gold in Sydney and silver in Atlanta? 

I think it took me a while to feel comfortable at an environment like an Olympics. In both Seoul and Barcelona I failed to qualify for the final and came away pretty devastated. Those are always the crucial points in life and its how you respond if things are rubbish. It undoubtedly gave me a stronger core and resilience.

In Atlanta I couldve so easily walked away with nothing. I had two fouls in the final and all over the place mentally. I then got a silver there and won in Sydney.

Whats your best memory at an Olympics? 

I was lucky enough to compete on Magic Monday at Sydney 2000 and saw how the Australian crowd responded to Cathy Freeman. It was spinetingling and there was 112,000 people in that stadium. That was a high point and people forget that Michael Johnson, Kelly Holmes and Colin Jackson ran. Plus the Haile Gebrselassie v Paul Tergat 10,000m final.