WITH A PAIR of very notable exceptions — Olympic champions Dwight Phillips and Jeff Henderson — U.S. long jumping has been in the doldrums for most of this century. Of the 57 medals awarded at the World Championships and Olympics, only 12 were won by Americans, 6 of them by Phillips.
In an event with many “here today, gone tomorrow” names, two are notable, if only for their longevity. Marquis Dendy, twice U.S. outdoor champion and a 3-time World indoor medalist (with a gold in ’16), first jumped past 8.00 (26-3) in ’12 and has exceeded that mark consistently during the years since. Jarrion Lawson, 4th at Rio ’16 and 2nd at the ’17 WC, placed in the top 3 at outdoor nationals 7 times since ’14.
T&FN’s forecast picked these two venerable athletes — who are 32 and 31 — as Nos. 1 & 5. Would this prediction stand?
Jeremiah Davis, last year’s OT winner, led the first round with a 26-1½ (7.96). That lasted only briefly. Lawson took full advantage of his status as one of the fastest jumpers ever, speeding down the runway to record a 26-7¾ (8.12). He would jump no farther this day, instead succumbing to a plague of fouls.
The third round sorted out the top 8. Departing after that were Dendy, who managed only 24-9 (7.54); Malcolm Clemons, 2nd at last year’s Trials and this year’s NCAA winner; and Damarcus Simpson, 4th on this year’s U.S. list.
In round 4, Will Williams, with only one 8-meter jump this year, soared a windy 26-8½ (8.14). That mark held the lead against assaults by Isaac Grimes (26-7/8.10), Jason Smith (26-4¼/8.03) and Davis, who improved to 26-3½ (8.01).
But the 27-year-old Grimes was not finished. On his final jump he hit the board perfectly and spanned 26-9 (8.15) with an 0.8 wind, and when his three closest opponents all fouled, he had won his first national championship with the longest legal outdoor mark of his career.
“I told myself before that last jump, ‘Just put it on the board.’ If I did that, I knew I could go far,” said Grimes. “I don’t think this [the win] has really kicked in yet. I’ve had a lot of injuries from 2021 until now. My coach [Texas Tech assistant Keith Herston] told me it was going to come together today, and it did.”
MEN’S LONG JUMP RESULTS
August 01 (winds ranged from +3.6 to –1.7)
1. Isaac Grimes…
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