Triple jumper Hibbert says World Champs let-down fuels Olympic ambitions
JAMAICA’S triple jump star Jaydon Hibbert says his setback at last August’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, has served to make him even more determined to win his first major title, even as the Paris Olympics Games set for next August approaches.
Hibbert, who ended the season as the world leader outdoors, had qualified for the triple jump final with one jump of 17.70m but pulled up with a hamstring strain on his first attempt in the final and was unable to continue in the competition.
The University of Arkansas student, who has been shortlisted for the Bowerman Award — the highest acclaim for US collegiate track and field athletes — said earlier this week that “injuries, especially on the big stage, make you hungry”.
He was responding to questions during a virtual press conference on Monday in preparation for Thursday’s awards gala for which he and teammate Britton Wilson are nominated.
University of Texas is the only other school that has two nominees, including former St Catherine High sprinter Julien Alfred.
Hibbert, who retained his national senior title after winning the NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor titles, as well as the South-East Conference (SEC) double, says he is focused on what he has to do this coming season.
“I think the mindset that I have going into next year [is] I’m a bit more focused as it pertains to my recovery,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “More focus as it relates to doing the meets that matter. And communication with [my] coach [is one] of the big things that allows for success in my career.
“I’m really hungry for the gold medal in Paris and I am working towards it,” he said.
It’s unusual for freshman athletes to be shortlisted for the Bowerman Award but Hibbert, who was unbeaten through the NCAA season — both indoors and outdoors — and who also set world Under-20 records for indoor (17.54m) and outdoor (17.87m-1.3m/s), says he is unfazed by the recognition. Hibberts’s outdoor record is to be ratified.
“It’s all about time. I’m feeling really good, feeling really blessed to represent my school, Arkansas, and not just Arkansas but Jamaica on a whole. I’m super excited to see what the ceremony is about, have fun dressing up and all that, but the main aim is just representing my school and country on that platform,” Hibbert noted.
