North Clackamas Christian senior Jack Nelson records personal best to take 1A boys long jump title

North Clackamas Christian senior Jack Nelson didn’t exactly expect to take home first place in the boys long jump at the 2024 1A Oregon high school track and field state championship on Thursday, May 16, but he certainly hoped to improve upon his third-place finish a season ago.

“I got third-place last year and I was honestly a little disappointed because I knew that I could do better,” Nelson said.

So in front of a well-traveled crowd at Hayward Field, Nelson did just that, jumping a personal-best 21 feet, 0.75 inches to take the 1A crown after entering the field as the third-seeded competitor.

“Oh man, it feels amazing,” Nelson said. “I mean, this is what I’ve been working toward all these years.”

In terms of what fueled Thursday’s payoff performance, Nelson considers a couple of factors: his years of hard work, and a little something extra.

“Just working hard of course, but I also brought some smelling salts to be honest,” Nelson said. “I tried them at districts last week and I got a PR, so I thought, ‘why not?’”

Nelson’s mark of 20-11.25 inches at last week’s 1A Special District 1 Championships was a season-best for the senior, but still only the third-best mark in the 1A classification this season.

Imbler’s Jake Bingaman entered the state meet with a season-best mark of 21-2, while Lost River’s Chase McAuliffe, who didn’t compete on Thursday, held the classification-best mark of 21-4.75.

But on the biggest stage of the season, it was Nelson who emerged victorious in upset fashion.

Perhaps he found his secret weapon in his pre-jump smelling salts, or maybe he’s simply still improving after jumping for the first time as only a sophomore.

Either way, Nelson’s victory on Thursday marked the culmination of a hard-working expedition for the senior.

“I started jumping my sophomore year, and I jumped a 19 (feet) and I actually made state,” Nelson said. “I didn’t place or anything, but I knew I had some potential and I wanted to work towards that.”

Nelson finished 10th in 2022 with a jump of 18-4.

Now, after finishing third in 2023 and first in 2024, the Saint’s state meet finishes display an obvious ascension to the top.