This story originally appeared in the Spring 2024 edition of Hurricanes Magazine.
Editor’s note: Earlier this month, Russell Robinson claimed the silver medal in the men’s triple jump at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a season-best mark of 16.61m. He is currently one of 23 Hurricanes track and field student-athletes competing at this week’s NCAA East Regional Meet. Robinson will compete in both the outdoor long jump and the triple jump.
Russell Robinson arrived at Miami as a walk-on, not knowing what to expect or even if he’d made the right decision in becoming a Hurricane.
Five years later, he’s a national champion.
Robinson, a senior jumper from Windermere, Florida posted a mark of 16.76 meters in the triple jump at this year’s NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston.
He not only set a new facility record at the TRACK at New Balance, but he improved his already-existing Miami record of 16.49m in the process and bested competition from around the country.
Not bad for an athlete who really only embraced track during the latter part of his high school career.
“My freshman and sophomore years in high school, I was just having fun. I wasn’t really taking everything so seriously and I didn’t think I could make a career out of this or go to college for it,” Robinson said. “Then it started getting serious my junior year after I won the district [championship] and I won the regional and I made it to the state championship and went out there and won.”
After that championship performance in high school, Robinson connected with the coaching staffs at Miami and Florida State, both of whom offered him opportunities to join their respective programs as a walk-on.
Robinson settled on Miami, knowing he could make an impact for the steadily improving Hurricanes men’s program.
Now, he’s one of the nation’s best jump athletes and has his sights set on not just finishing the outdoor season with another national championship, but on representing the United States in Paris at this summer’s Olympic Games, too.
“I’m just setting myself up for the summer and training throughout … I’m going to go out and have fun and compete,” Robinson said. “To do that with my teammates who also have a chance of taking their athletics to the next level is a great opportunity for all of us. I’m very excited to see what’s going to happen all season. And we all want more records and personal bests…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Track & Field – University of Miami Athletics…