Republic senior Zion Allen won the high jump and finished second in the long jump at the sectional track meet in Waynesville on Saturday, earning him a return trip to the state meet in both events.
Despite an early start time, Allen said he felt good when his day began at the high jump. “I kind of liked it because all the other jumpers, they weren’t doing what they normally do. They weren’t jumping as high. I came out feeling good, jumped normal, so it kind of worked in my favor,” Allen said.
Allen’s first jump set the tone for his performance. “I knew right after I jumped, nothing hurt, nothing felt weird, so I was like, all right, yep, we’re good,” he said.
He eventually cleared 1.95 meters to finish first in the high jump. His leap of 6.97 meters in the long jump was good for second place.
Despite the fact that he qualified for state and performed well last year in Jefferson City, especially in the high jump, Allen was not complacent heading into Saturday’s meet.
“It being my senior year and [knowing ] this could be my last track meet ever, there’s always pressure at the track meets,” he said.
Allen owns the school record in long jump at 7.0 meters, which he set at the Hillcrest Invitational on April 5. Last year, he went to state in both events and earned a medal with a fourth-place finish in the high jump. He’ll be looking to improve on that performance Friday and Saturday at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.
