Triple jumper Emmanuel Ihemeje competed in the long jump. Photo by Kevin Neri
The tents next to the runway of the long jump pit at the Oregon Relays on Friday afternoon were full of jumpers in their tracksuits warming up. Except for one athlete warming up in a burrito blanket. That athlete was Oregon’s NCAA triple jump champion, Emmanuel Ihemeje.
Ihemeje wraps his burrito blanket around his waist like a towel before he gets on deck.
The burrito blanket isn’t just to keep himself warm.
“It’s my luck,” Ihemeje said.
Even though Ihemeje is a triple jumper, he was competing in the long jump event at this year’s Oregon Relays. He finished third with a jump of 22 feet, 4 inches, a foot behind teammate Jonah Tactay, who won the event with his jump of 23-4.
“It’s one event that I usually don’t do, but I wanted to get it done, see where my potential could get me in terms of marks,” Ihemeje said.
By doing the long jump event Ihemeje hopes that he can translate the lessons and experiences he gets in long jump to his triple jump. Right now Ihemeje said that he’s landing on one foot, and he needs to land on two feet.
“I really need to work on my landing and hopefully by fixing my landing it’ll really help me get a huge significant [increase in] inches on triple jump,” he said.
Ihemeje said that the burrito blanket was a gift given to him before the indoor track and field season started. He became the back-to-back triple jump champion at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
“It was with [the burrito blanket] that I won my last NCAA championship,” Ihemeje said. “I’m taking it with me everywhere. To the next upcoming championships.”
The burrito blanket also has sentimental value to Ihemeje because “it was a gift from a special person.”
According to Ihemeje, the next time he will be seen in the triple jump event will probably be at the Pac-12 Championships. Look out for the athlete warming up in a burrito blanket and you’ll see the defending triple jump champion.
