By Becky Hoag
Oregon junior Damarcus Simpson was bound to be one of the favorites in the Pac-12 championship men’s long jump, not only because the event took place at Hayward Field this weekend, but also because he broke a 12-year indoor Oregon track record, jumping 26 feet, 3.5 inches to win the Columbia East-West Challenge in New York earlier this year.
After a slight rough start with a foul on the first jump, Simpson jumped 26-1 even with a +2.5 wind, setting a high standard for the rest of the competition. UCLA freshman Isaiah Holmes accepted the challenge.
“He was out there saying, ‘Hey, you better get those spikes back on,’” Simpson said. “Hey, that was great for him. I’m always rooting for competitors to do really good. Even if it’s better than me, we have to compete; that’s what we are out here for.”
Even though Holmes got close, he fouled on his last attempt, settling for second with 25-11, his personal outdoor best. Simpson’s 26-1 stood up as the winning mark.
“That last jump would have easily been over 26, but I decided to spare him for this time,” Holmes said.
And with the full impact of Oregon weather showing its wrath during the meet, the Southern Californian athlete learned he liked competing in the rain. Prior to coming to Oregon, Holmes had only practiced in the rain once, and practice was ended early due to the weather.
“I was really scared of it coming into it, but just feeding off the teammates and the hype of the whole meet and the whole crowd going up, it was just really fun,” Holmes said.
After the meet, Holmes smiled and shook everyone’s hand, including the assistants who raked the sand and the timekeepers.
“It’s the least I could do,” Holmes said. “They come out in the same conditions we are, staying out for probably longer than us. They at least deserve the respect.”
Both Simpson and Holmes competed in other events on Saturday as well. Holmes got first in the high jump with a jump of 6-11.5; Simpson helped his team qualify second on the in the men’s 4 by 4 relay with 39.86 seconds and also made it to finals for the 100-meter sprint Sunday. Holmes will also be competing in the men’s triple jump Sunday.
