Watch: Marquise Goodwin jumps 26 feet, 2.75 inches in track return
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin made his return to track and field with the second best long jump mark in the world for 2016 at the Rod McCravy Invitational in Lexington, Ken., on Friday evening.
Goodwin recorded a jump of 7.99-meters (26'2.75") for the win on his final jump of the evening. The mark is the second best in the world behind Russia’s Kirill Sukharev, who recorded an 8.07-meter jump in Moscow on Jan. 10.
Watch the world No. 2 jump below:
At last year’s U.S.A outdoor track and field championships, Goodwin made his first return to track and field since the 2012 Olympics in London. Goodwin finished fourth, just one spot shy of qualifying for the 2015 IAAF World Championships. He went on to represent the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and won a silver medal.
• Bills WR Marquise Goodwin eyes second Olympic team in 2016
Goodwin was the U.S. champion at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials with a jump of 8.33-meters, which was the fourth best in the world for that year and a personal best. If he replicated that jump at the Olympics, he would have won a gold medal. He finished 10th overall with 7.80-meters being his best mark in London.
The 2016 indoor season is the first indoor campaign for Goodwin since before the 2012 Summer Games.
In order to make the Olympic team, he must finish in the top three at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., in July.
With track and field scheduled to take place from Aug. 12 to Aug. 21 at the Olympics, Goodwin could miss time for the Bills’ training camp. He will be entering the final season of his rookie contract next year.
Goodwin is scheduled to race the 60-meter dash against other elite sprinter at the 2016 Millrose Games in New York City on Feb. 20.
- Christopher Chavez