Watch: 5'7", 17-year-old South African clears high jump over seven feet
17-year-old Breyton Poole is just 5'7" but wowed a packed stadium over the weekend as he cleared a 2.24-meter (7' 4¼") high jump mark at the IAAF U18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya.
Germany's Chima Ihenetu took silver with his 2.14-meter jump.
Poole told reporters that he started high jumping at the age of 10 and also dabbled in rugby. His coach, Bennie Schlechder, says that they shelved rugby to focus on the championships in Kenya. Poole reportedly trains for one hour a day for just four or three days per week.
“They thought I wouldn’t be able to adapt to it because I was so short,” he said after winning gold. “I proved them wrong.”
Watch the clearance below:
South Africa is booming rwith track and field talent right now. Wayde van Niekerk, who won 400 meter gold in world record fashion at last summer's Olympics, could win gold in the 200 meters and 400 meters at next month's IAAF World Championships in London. Fellow Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya is the heavy favorite for gold in the women's 800 meters.
