Prove it.
That was Sheena Gordon’s mantra each time she stalked the
high jump bar Saturday morning.
She wanted to prove that she was finally healthy, that her
performance at the Texas Relays was no fluke, and that at last she
had developed into the elite high jumper she believed herself to
be.
Saturday, Gordon did it all. The UCLA sophomore surpassed the
six-foot mark for the second consecutive week, this time clearing a
personal best 6 feet, 1.25 inches as she took first place at the
Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational.
“I know I’m a national-caliber athlete so I just
have to perform like one,” Gordon said. “Today I did
that, and it feels good.”
Success hasn’t come easily for Gordon, who arrived at UCLA
last season as the nation’s top prep jumper. Injuries
derailed much of her freshman campaign, and an off-season stress
fracture in her left foot threatened to deter this year’s
campaign as well, but Gordon has persevered.
After a disappointing indoor season, Gordon has excelled
outdoors, demonstrating that she is a legitimate national contender
in the high jump. Her performance Saturday was the fifth best in
the nation this year and tied her for No. 3 in school history.
Only former NCAA champions Amy Acuff and Darnesha Griffith have
jumped higher.
“It’s huge for her confidence,” UCLA jumps
coach Robert Johnson said. “Things are starting to come
together. She’s starting to reach her potential.”
Gordon cleared the earlier heights with little trouble,
clinching first place after UNLV’s Christine Spence failed to
improve upon her mark of 5 feet, 10 inches. With the victory in
hand, Gordon attempted three jumps at 6 feet, 2 inches that would
have vaulted her within a half inch of the national lead.
As she prepared for her third and final jump, she barely
blinked, barely moved, only occasionally tapping her thighs as if
to coax every possible ounce of pliability out of her elastic
5-foot, 11-inch frame.
It wasn’t quite enough. Though she was over the bar by
several inches, her calf grazed it on the way down, signaling the
end of the competition.
“I thought I had it,” Gordon said.
Added Johnson, “Sheena’s at a point where the higher
the bar goes, the better she concentrates. It’s the lower
heights where she sometimes has a mental lapse.”
Although she competes with her left foot wrapped, Gordon said
the injury is no longer painful. She has been focusing on improving
her speed and technique going over the bar, and says that the extra
work is paying dividends.
Gordon doesn’t have a height in mind that she needs to
clear by the end of the season, but both she and the coaching staff
are confident that she could be a factor this June at the NCAA
Championships.
“Now that she is feeling confident, the sky’s the
limit for her,” Johnson said.