Ngoni Makusha’s golden leap

Makusha, who is on a four-year athletics scholarship at Florida State University, once again hogged the limelight in the United States when he leapt to a season- and collegiate-best distance of 8.14 metres in the men’s long jump final on Friday in the first of two days of Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships at College Station in Texas.
According to reports from Texas, Makusha (22), a 2008 Olympian, picked the perfect time to unleash his best long jump of the 2011 indoor track and field season.
And now the Florida State men’s track performer is an NCAA champion.
In fact, Makusha’s leap of 8.14 metres was recorded as the best field event performance of the day on Friday.
Two other jumpers reached 8 metres – Will Claye of Florida (8.05) and last year’s outdoor champion, Marquise Goodwin of Texas, who jumped 8.00.
Makusha’s amazing performance early in the day helped set the tone for an FSU men’s squad that was in a position to potentially finish in the top three when all events conclude on Saturday.
The Zimbabwean’s performance on Friday came hot on the heels of his other remarkable achievement during the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Championships in Virginia three weeks ago where he leapt 8.15 metres on his way to winning a gold medal.
In other field events on Friday, Scott Roth of Washington and Ben Peterson of Minnesota pole vaulted 5.50, with Roth winning on the countback; and in the men’s Shot Put, Leif Arhennius of Brigham Young upset favoured Mason Finley of Kansas, 19.92 to 19.75. The same meet saw Brianne Theisen, a University of Oregon junior, setting a collegiate record in the women’s Pentathlon.
Theisen, who comes from Saskatchewan, Canada, scored 4540 points to beat the previous record of 4496 set by Jacquelyn Johnson in 2008.
Event by event, her performances were 60m Hurdles, 8.35; High Jump, 1.84; Shot Put, 12.38; Long Jump, 5.96; 800m 2:11.82. Tied for second at a good 4396 points were Chantae McMillan of Nebraska and Kiani Profit of Maryland.
In the sprints, the only finals were the men’s and women’s 200 metres. In the men’s 200, Rakieem Salaam of Oklahoma, the fastest qualifier with 20.39sec – the fastest indoor time in the world in 2011 – came back to win the final in 20.41, edging Maurice Mitchell of Florida State, 20.401 to 20.403. Salaam and Mitchell also led the qualifiers for Saturday’s 60m, with both running 6.55.
The women’s 200m was won by Florida State’s Kimberlyn Duncan in 22.85sec.
Jeneba Tarmoh won the second section race in 22.88sec and was overall the next quickest behind Duncan.
The 60m heats were led by the 2009 champion, Lakya Brookins, with a 7.13 which tied the meet record.
In the 400 metres trials, Jessica Beard of host Texas A&M won her heat in 51.64, a full second faster than the next fastest qualifier, Shelise Williams of Arkansas.
The men’s 5000m was won by Leonard Korir of Iona, who outsprinted Sam Chelanga of Liberty, 13:26.01 to 13:27.34.
In the women’s 5000m, favourite Jackie Areson of Tennessee took off after a sluggish first 4000m to win by 30 metres in 16:04.16.