Abused, expelled, orphaned at eight months: how athlete Bob Beamon beat the odds – and became a legend

‘I got a call from Webster’s saying, we put your name in the dictionary, and it means outstanding, unbelievable’ … Beamon in South Carolina. Photograph: Cornell Watson/The Guardian

Lot number 11 in Christie’s “Exceptional Sale” earlier this year lived up to its billing. This was the holy grail for the well-heeled sports fan or history buff – Olympic glory in the palm of your hand.

In an auction that included a Louis XIV tapestry and what was believed to be the only painting by all four of the Beatles, the long-jump gold medal from the 1968 Summer Olympics fetched £351,000. What made its owner give it up? “I had just gotten past the idea of storing it in a bank vault,” says Bob Beamon. “I also thought, with the flags all over the world about to go up for the Paris Games, it was time to cash in on my reputation and inspire the public again.”