Sophia Beckmon does it again! Oregon City junior shakes off knee issues, resets state long jump record at Jesuit Twilight Relays
By René Ferrán
Oregon City junior Sophia Beckmon has dealt with knee issues all spring.
She even acknowledged that, if it weren’t for Friday’s meet being the 20th annual Jesuit Twilight Relays, “I really shouldn’t even be jumping at the moment.”
At one of the Northwest’s most prestigious meets, however, Beckmon met the moment with one magical jump that made history.
On her first jaunt down the runway, she broke her state record set at last summer’s Outdoor Nationals, jumping 19 feet, 11 inches — and if she’d been more on the board, it would have been the first legal 20-foot jump in state history.
As she exited the pit and heard the mark, she did a double-take, in disbelief that she’d soared that far.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she said. “It just came out of nowhere.”
Beckmon took two more jumps, barely missing another record on her second attempt, going 19-10¾, then fouling on her final jump. She called it an afternoon at that point, leaving her pursuit of 20 feet for another day.
She had one eye on the long term — the 6A state meet in three weeks at Hayward Field, and several big-time summer championships — and another on what she had left the rest of Friday’s meet.
She finished third in the Elite 100, running a personal-best 11.83 seconds, and ran on the victorious 4x100 and third-place 4x400 relays to help the Pioneers win the team title.
“I have to be there for my team, so I have to worry about myself, but also how ready I am for my teammates,” she said.
On the runway opposite Beckmon, Newberg senior Blake Smith won a lengthy competition among five jumpers clustered from 21-4 to Smith’s winning leap of 21-9, achieved in the first round of the finals.
Girls Long Jump Podium
1, Sophia Beckmon, Jr., Oregon City, 19-11.
2, Harley Daniel, Sr., Oregon City, 18-9.
3, Anika Sukumar, Jr., West Linn, 18-2.5.
4, Elizabeth Graham, So., Tualatin, 18-2.
5, Amanda Moll, Jr., Capital (Olympia), 18-0.
6, Ava Carry McDonald, Sr., Summit, 17-4.
7, Caroline De la motte, So., Wilsonville, 17-4.
8, Feile Brown, Jr., Summit, 17-3.5.
Boys Long Jump Podium
1, Blake Smith, Sr., Newberg, 21-9.
2, William Onwo, Sr., Westview, 21-6.
3, Drew Pierson, Sr., Canby, 21-5.
4, Barrett Davis, Sr., Eagle (Idaho), 21-4.
5, Calder Morrison, So., Sunset, 21-4.
6, Ping Koonantha, Sr., Silverton, 20-10.
7, Patrick Monahan, Jr., Bishop Kelly, 20-10.
8, Aiden Montigny, Sr., Camas, 20-8.
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Best photos from 2022 Jesuit Twilight Relays
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