In his first long jump competition in nearly two years, Jamir Brown popped a PR and broke Riverside’s school record.
Brown last long jumped in the spring of 2022 as a sophomore at Delran. He hit 22-0 ½ when he won the Burlington County Open at Rancocas Valley and went on to place 2nd at South Jersey Group 2 sectionals at Delsea and 4th at states at Franklin.
He also ran 54.52 in the intermediates and 14.66 in the 110 highs an triple jumped 43-10 that spring. He was the No. 2 sophomore in New Jersey in the long jump and both hurdles and No. 3 in the triple jump.
He was at Riverside last spring but was hurt all spring and only competed in three meets and didn’t approach his PRs from 2022. He only ran the flat 400 and never contested either hurdles race and didn’t long jump.
So Saturday’s Don Danser Relays at Rancocas Valley was his first long jump competition since June 11, 2022, when he jumped 21-2 ¼ at the state meet.
And after opening with a 20-11 and 21-5, he jumped 22-0 ¾ on his 3rd attempt. He won by exactly a foot over former teammate junior Emir Canli of Delran, who jumped 21-0 ¾. His twin brother, Deniz Canli, was 3rd at 20-8 ¼.
Brown broke the school record of 20-8 set (I think) by Jody Johnson at the 2018 Moorestown Invitational. Weird that Riverside has had four state Group 1 champion triple jumpers – Phil Lindemuller 45-3 ½ in 2007, Sean Jimoh 45-5 ¼ in 2008, Emmanuel Harris 45-8 ½ in 2018 and Alex Stockton 44-5 ½ – but none of them ever even jumped 21 feet. Jimoh hit 20-6 ½.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 