Emmanuel Ihemeje calls for even more support from the crowd, which responded enthusiastically. Photo by Cierra Hitner
Oregon jumper Emmanuel Ihemeje roared from the infield to get the crowd going, then fans started to clap as he got ready to jump.
Fans clapped louder and faster as Ihemeje made his way down the runway until he took off into the pit.
“I’m an athlete fan,” Ihemeje said. “The more I get turned up by the fans, the more I think I can express myself as EJ.”
Reigning NCAA indoor and out triple jump champion Ihemeje won his first Pac-12 triple jump title with a jump of 54 feet,10 inches. He was the runner-up last year.
Ihemeje also competed Saturday in the long jump to get additional team points for the Ducks, and that plan worked as Oregon got 18 points with a 1-2 finish. Ihemeje finished second with a personal best on his second jump of 25-0, which is 13 inches better than his previous PR, set at the Cougar Classic Invitational earlier this season.
He said he chose not to jump in the final flight of the long jump to get ready for the triple.
“Two total different events,” Ihemeje said. “One is A, the other is Z, or vice versa. Technique-wise, the whole event is totally different.”
Ihemeje’s second-best triple jump of 53-2 came after his third attempt. He didn’t look pleased and talked with Head Coach Robert Johnson longer than usual after the jump.
“Technique wise I didn’t start as great as I used to do,” Ihemeje said. “He started telling me how to fix my posture.”
After his talk with Johnson, Ihemeje said he passed on his fourth attempt to save his energy for the last two jumps.
Johnson said this strategy is to get Ihemeje to jump better in the later rounds. That pass did end up working as Ihemeje’s final attempt was his best.
“On the last jump, like I said, I got my confidence,” Ihemeje said. “I felt like [I was] enjoying the ride. I landed, I heard the crowd, the crowd told me that it was a good jump.”
Ihemeje will compete at the NCAA West Regionals en route to defending his NCAA outdoor triple jump title.
“I’m looking to lock in and finish strong for the rest of the season,” he said.
