KANSAS STATE JUNIOR Tafadzwa Chikomba had recorded the season’s first outdoor 27-foot jump in this pit in April, followed by a PR 27-1½ (8.27) at the Big 12 meet a month later. Those were enough to cast him as favorite, a position reinforced at the West Regional, where he rode a helpful 3.2 mps breeze to a monstrous 28-8½ (8.75), the longest ever by a collegian.
Chikomba wasted little time proving that the long mark was no fluke. On a cool, mostly calm evening on a shadowed runway, he melded a quick runup with a long hang time and hit the pit 27-5½ (8.37) from takeoff on his first attempt. Into an 0.7 wind, it was another legal PR.
He followed that with a second-round 27-4¾ (8.35), this time with a 0.1 wind, and the die was cast. Two fouls, a run-through (after which he was favoring his left hamstring), and a sit-back at 26-7¼ (8.11) in round 6 completed his night’s work.
Afterward, he said, “At the Regionals it gave me confidence, so coming here, I was kind of expecting big marks, but you know, with pressure, I didn’t execute as I was supposed to, but it was a really good day. I have to relax on my first pushes, but I was kind of rushing it, so it wasn’t perfect, as compared to Regionals.
“The thing [Coach Travis Geopfert] loves about me, if you tell me to do something, I go do exactly what he said. I’m learning a lot. I have a long time [before the ’28 Olympics] to learn.”
None of the year’s 26-3 (8m)-plus jumpers who were expected to offer a challenge did so. Instead, it was completely unheralded Arkansas soph Juriad Hughes who enjoyed the meet of his life. Arriving in Eugene with a best of just 25-9¼ (7.85), he leaped 26-8¼ (8.13) in the second round. He followed in the third with a 27-0 (8.23) in the third and a 27-¾ (8.25) in the fifth, all jumps wind-legal.
The Razorback’s evening was one of monumental achievement, enough to make Chikomba nervous… but only a little. An unexpected silver was Hughes’ reward.
A second K-State jumper, soph Uroy Ryan, was runner-up for a round, produced a fine series and ended 3rd with a PR of 26-4½ (8.04).
Princeton junior Greg Foster was a mere quarter-inch (1cm) back in 4th with his only good jump of the competition, and Liberty’s Markus White produced a new PR for 5th at 26-¼ (7.93).
MEN’S LONG JUMP RESULTS
(June 10)
1. *Tafadzwa Chikomba’ (KsSt-Zim) 27-5½ (8.37) PR
(27-5½, 27-4¾, f, 22-¼, 26-7¼, f) (8.37, 8.35, f, 6.71, 8.11, f);
2. **Juriad Hughes (Ar) 27-¾ (8.25) PR
(f, 26-8¼, 27-0, f, f, 27-¾) (f, 8.13, 8.23, f, f, 8.25);
3. **Uroy Ryan’ (KsSt-StV) 26-4½ (8.04) PR
(26-¾, 25-6, 26-¾, 26-4½, 25-6¾, 25-10) (7.94, 7.77, 7.94, 8.04, 7.79, 7.87);
4. *Greg Foster (Prin) 26-4¼ (8.03)
(f, 26-4¼, f, f, 25-9½, f) (f, 8.03, f, f, 7.86, f);
5. *Markus White (Lib) 26-¼ (7.93) PR
(25-5½w, 24-11, f, 26-¼, f, f) (7.76w, 7.59, f, 7.93, f, f);
6. *Zaid Latif’ (TxT-Mor) 25-10¾ (7.89)
(24-8½, 25-10¾, 25-0, f, 25-8¼, 25-4½) (7.53, 7.89, 7.62, f, 7.83, 7.73);
7. **Jayden Keys (Ga) 25-10¼ (7.88)
(24-2¼, f, 25-4¾, f, 25-10¼, 25-3¼) (7.37, f, 7.74, f, 7.88, 7.70);
8. *Charles Godfred’ (Mn-Ngr) 25-8¼ (7.83)
(25-6, 24-11¾w, 25-6¾, 25-8¼, f, 25-8) (7.77, 7.61w, 7.79, 7.83, f, 7.82);
9. ***Quincy Isaac (Mi) 25-6¼ (7.78) ; 10. **Trevor Rogers (Cal) 25-4½ (7.73); 11. ***Temoso Masikane’ (Fl-SA) 25-4½ (7.73); 12. Jordan Turner’ (LSU-Jam) 25-¾ (7.64); 13. ***Kingi McNair (Ky) 24-8¼ (7.52); 14. *Tyler Nichols (SnMs) 24-8¼ (7.52); 15. Curtis Williams (FlSt) 24-6½ (7.48); 16. Roman Kuleshov’ (Louis-Rus) 24-5½ (7.45); 17. *Raekwon Weatherspoon (Boise) 24-4½ (7.43); 18. ***Steven Evans-Glynn (LBSt) 24-1 (7.34); 19. **Roy Morris (NWnLa) 23-11¾ (7.31); 20. *Josh Parrish (Wich) 23-10 (7.26); 21. *Kennedy Stringfellow (Ok) 23-9 (7.24); 22. *Justin Walker (AlAM) 21-11½ (6.69);… 3f—***Croix Dacunha (KsSt), Khybah Dawson (TxAM).
