Dakarai Hightower won the men’s high jump during the Oregon Track Relays with his first attempt which came at 6 feet, 9 inches. But he didn’t stop there.
Hightower continued to compete against himself and see how high he could go. That turned out to be 7-2 1/2, 4 1/2 inches higher than his first meet of the year.
“I just wanted to get the higher height,” he said.
He beat Portland State’s Rockwell Tufty, who took second place with 6-8 3/4, and Oregon’s Bradley Laubacher, who took third with 6-6 3/4.
Hightower’s eagerness was appreciated by the crowd who cheered him on as he continued to raise the bar. Hightower cleared 7-1/4. The crowd was cheering but Hightower walked off of the mat frowning and giving a thumb down.
Next he attempted 7-2 1/2. He missed his first two attempts and would have to clear the third to continue and set a new personal record. Hightower took a break, something he hadn’t done yet in his jumps.
“I put on some headphones and I started listening to a lot of Katy Perry,” he said. “I just had to get my mind right, really kind of visualize myself getting over the bar and everything.”
With his mind right, Hightower cleared the height. The he moved onto 7-5 1/4 where he missed all three attempts. Despite the disappointment, Hightower stood up and clapped his hands.
While he couldn’t beat his PR of 7-3, Hightower came away with a win as an unattached athlete who was competing just to compete. He came out smiling and telling jokes. “I pray seven times a day, not really. I eat my Wheaties, I eat my vegetables every day. I run a lot. I do a lot of 150s, get a lot of sleep, go to school, get my brain all functioning and all that, and then I…clear some bars.”
“For something I could have done differently… uhh man, maybe just focused a little bit more, hit the weight room – I lift a lot you can tell, I’m kind of scrawny – just the little things really.”
–by Katie Rosenblad
