Jayaire King on Friday joined a long and illustrious list of Willingboro quarter-milers who’ve won state titles.
King, a Willingboro senior, won the state Group 1 400-meter dash in 51.19 at the Bennett Center, beating runner-up Dontae Guest, a Camden junior, by eight meters.
King, a 55-second intermediate hurdler outside, also qualified for the high hurdles final coming up soon. His 7.73 was second-fastest time in the trials, behind only Sam Aviles of Palmyra, who ran a personal-best 7.50, which is No. 8 in Burlington County history.
Here’s a look at all the 400-meter dash state champs in Willingboro history. Most notable in the group is Lamont Smith, who went on to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics when he led off the winning U.S. 1,600-meter relay team.
Outdoor
2007
Antonio Abney [Group 3], 47.43
1993
Barry Douglas [Group 4], 47.62
1991
Lamont Smith [Group 4], 47.89
1990
Lamont Smith [Group 4], 48.1h
1988
Sean Scott [Group 3], 49.2h
Indoor
2011
Darius Holmes [Group 2], 50.69
1997
Wayne Riley [Group 4], 51.20
1995
Napolean Davis [Group 4], 52.49
1991
Lamont Smith [Group 4], 48.68
1988
Sean Scott [Group 3], 50.38
1977
Eric Rucker [Group 4], 49.4h,y
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 