Broughton High School’s Jesse Williams clears the way in world high jump finals
Not very many people watch track & field events, or “athletics,” as its called overseas. In the Triangle, we tend to be a bit bias toward basketball, football and soccer. The fact that our region has produced so many highly recognized athletes in those sports clearly helps contribute to the popularity of those sports.
Well, maybe Jesse Williams, a graduate from Broughton High School in Raleigh, will do for Track & Field in the Triangle what Mia Hamm did for soccer, Josh Hamilton did for baseball and Philip Rivers did for football.
This week in Daegu, South Korea, Williams became the first American to win the world high jump championship since 1991 when he cleared the bar at 7′ 8.5”.
His career best is over 7’9”. Think about that for a second. The average ceiling height in a home is 8 feet. Remember, Williams doesn’t just jump and touch the bar, he manages to get his entire body just a couple inches below the height of a living room.
If you have never watched a high jump in action, try to find an opportunity—it represents pure athleticism and demonstrates incredible body control. It requires the attention to technique of a ballet dancer and the sheer leg strength of an NFL offensive lineman.
Williams attended college initially at NC State but recently transferred to the University of Southern California.