Bills WR Marquise Goodwin wins silver medal at Pan Am Games
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin won a silver medal in the long jump at the Pan American Games in his first return to an international championship since the 2012 Summer Olympics with a season's best 8.27-meter leap (27”1.59’). 2015 U.S. Outdoor Champion Jeffrey Henderson won gold witha jump of 8.54-meters.
All it took was one jump by Goodwin to record the second best mark of the qualifying rounds with a leap of 8.05 meters (26’5”.) Henderson jumped farther in Tuesday's opening round with a mark of 8.18 meters (27’4”).
Goodwin holds a personal best of 8.23 meters, which was set at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. The jump would have been good enough for a gold medal in London, but he struggled at the Summer Games and finished 10th overall.
Last month, Goodwin made his return to the long jump pit at the 2015 U.S.A. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. He was entered in the meet after filing a petition and was approved due to his personal history within the sport.
Goodwin had not competed in track and field since the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London after being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft.
In his rookie season, Goodwin appeared in 10 games and had caught 17 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Goodwin spent a majority of his time as a kick returner, where he tallied 351 return yards.
After the Pan American Games, Goodwin will return to Buffalo Bills training camp, which runs July 31 through Aug. 25 in Pittsford, N.Y. He will compete for a spot at wide receiver among the likes of Percy Harvin, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, all of whom are considered locks to make the team.
• TOLAND: Bills WR Marquise Goodwin's Leap from Track to the NFL
- Christopher Chavez
