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Hibbert wanted to wear the colours again

Published:Sunday | April 9, 2023 | 1:58 AMHubert Lawrence - Gleaner Writer
Gladstone Taylor/Multimedia Photo editor Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert celebrates his gold medal in the boys’ under-20 long jump at the 49th staging of the Carifta Games isnide the National Stadium last year.
Gladstone Taylor
Gladstone Taylor/Multimedia Photo editor Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert celebrates his gold medal in the boys’ under-20 long jump at the 49th staging of the Carifta Games isnide the National Stadium last year.

WITH A brilliant debut indoor season behind him, World Under-20 triple jump champion Jaydon Hibbert will begin his outdoor campaign tomorrow in the Bahamas at the 50th Carifta Games.

Travis Geopfert, Hibbert’s coach at the University of Arkansas, says Hibbert himself made the choice to compete at the Games and reports that the 18-year-old Jamaican is excited to don the black, green and gold again.

Speaking in Kingston at last week’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, Geopfert explained:

“He’s very excited. You know, we talked about it and I left it up to him. We have a meet in California that same week and I said, we’ve got to pick one, one of the two. We can’t do both and it was his choice. He wanted to come represent Jamaica at Carifta and we’re supporting him in that and it works into his training schedule. It’ll be good. I’m excited for him.”

Hibbert won the World Under-20 title last year in Cali, Colombia, with one jump and used the same approach in March to set a World Under-20 indoor record of 17.54 metres at the NCAA Championships.

He probably won’t take the full complement of jumps at Carifta if he doesn’t have to.

“That’s correct,” Geopfert affirmed. Coach and athlete have adopted this minimalist approach to reduce wear and tear.

“He needs to go out and execute. He’ll likely jump from a short approach. It’s still early in the year and, you know, one thing when you have talented young athletes, in particular, young athletes, it gets important to miminise the strain on their bodies as much as we can, and we’re trying very hard to keep a big picture in mind for him,” Geopfert said of the lad, who left Kingston College with two years of Champs eligibility unused.

He jumped in just three indoor meets and the approach will be the same outdoors. “It’ll be his outdoor debut. You know, the outdoor season will echo the indoor season to some degree,” said Geopfert.

Last year in Kingston, Hibbert won the Carifta gold medals in both the under-20 long and triple jumps.

“He’s just a terrific kid,” Geopfert praised.

“I’m excited for him to have the opportunity to go represent Jamaica and be there with his Jamaican teammates and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Hibbert will seek to defend his triple jump title on Monday at 5:40 p.m. local time. There is no indication that he will also compete in the long jump, an event he did not contest indoors.

Last year, he smashed the field by bounding 17.05 metres in the first round, with an aiding wind pushing his lanky frame along at 2.8 metres per second.