Tah Chikomba Delivers Gold-Medal Jump at NCAA Championships

Tah Chikomba set the K-State school record in the long jump earlier in the season, and he did it again while taking gold at the NCAA Championships.

Kansas State’s Tafadzwa Chikomba wins the men’s long jump during the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 10, 2026, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tah Chikomba put together a special junior campaign in 2026, but he took it to another level on Wednesday during the NCAA Championships in Eugene. After setting the school record in the long jump earlier in the season, he needed only one jump to break it again as he jumped 8.37 meters (27' 5-5'') to win the gold medal. That is the longest jump to win the outdoor event since Zack Bazile of Ohio State won with an identical jump in 2018.

Tafadzwa Chikomba (Kansas St.) 🇿🇼 first round jump of 8.37m (-0.7) to win the NCAA men's Long Jump title!

2. Juriad Hughes (Arkansas) 8.25m
3. Uroy Ryan (Kansas St.) 8.04mpic.twitter.com/44LuGJlkcv

— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) June 11, 2026

He put a bow on what was a spectacular 2026 season, as he became the first K-State athlete to win the outdoor long jump championship. The only other Wildcat to accomplish the feat was Herb Hoskins, who won with a jump of 7.41m in 1951. After his star athlete won the meet, K-State coach Travis Geopfert had nothing but praise for Chikomba in a statement.

"Tafadzwa Chikomba flat-out got it done," Geopfert said. "Came in here as the favorite, and that's one thing, when you navigate success, and he navigated it extremely well. A personal best, broke the school record, three centimeters off of the all-time African record. I think 15 centimeters off of the NCAA meet record into a headwind, and just, what can I say about that guy? I mean, a champion, an NCAA champion, a title that he's going to have with him for the rest of his life, and just proud how he's handled all of it."

He has broken the school record multiple times this season, after the previous holder, Kenny Harrison, had held it since 1988. The most recent time was at the Big 12 Championships on May 15, when he set a conference and facility record.

K-State dominates the long jump event

Not only did Chikomba win the event, but his teammate Uroy Ryan also delivered in a big way, winning the Bronze medal with a jump of 8.04m. Last year, as a member of the Arkansas track team, he finished ninth in the event.

The performances of these two have helped the Wildcats be in third place at the championships after Day 1 with 16 points.