Plunge for Distance
Plunge for distance was very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It showed up in the Olympic games in 1904. It’s exactly as the name describes – a competitor dives, and, without propelling themselves with their arms or legs, tries to go as far as possible. As one author describes it, the competition favored, “mere mountains of fat who fall in the water more or less successfully and depend upon inertia to get their points for them.” The competition was criticized for its lack of athleticism, and discontinued.