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CALN TWP. – Kivaleon Clarke knew a few things Saturday as he approached the final three attempts in the boys triple jump at the District 1 Championships.
The Penn Wood senior knew what Cheltenham’s Jordan Sowell could do, seeing it first-hand when Sowell leapt a states-leading 49-4 at the Rap Curry Invitational. Clarke (45-8) was third that day.
Clarke also knew he had work to do Saturday, after Sowell hit 46-11 on his first attempt, more than a foot and a half up on Clarke, in the second spot. And Clarke knew that, with a gold medal in Friday’s long jump already secured and his last high school jumps nearing, that he had nothing to lose.
“I had two people in front of me (to jump),” said Clarke, who entered as the third seed. “The mindset I went into that last jump with is, it’s not over yet. I went out there with an even harder push. I rolled the phases even harder, longer and the results showed that. That was a really good jump I had.”
Clarke not only prevailed in the triple jump at Coatesville High but did so in somewhat traumatic fashion. He moved back into second place with his fourth attempt of 45-9.5. He closed the gap on Sowell, who made only four attempts, with a 46-7.75 in the fifth round.
In his sixth and final attempt, Clarke bounded 47-6.5 to seize the lead. He watched Ridley’s Jayden Brown fall shy of improving his third-place leap, going 45-5.75 on the last and 45-7 for bronze.
Then came Sowell, who soared within three quarters of an inch of Clarke, in 47-5.75, a nervous Clarke willing the measuring tape as taut as possible.
“When I saw Jordan jump, I was kind of shaking,” Clarke said. “He’s one of the best jumpers I’ve seen. It feels good that I actually beat him. He’s a real good competitor and I’m glad I was able to beat him.”
Clarke’s leap is a PR, vaulting past the 45-11 he had set at Delcos. It is the new No. 3 distance in Pennsylvania and is top 100 in the country this year. He was third at districts last year (44-4.5) and 19th at states.
His winning long jump on Friday of 22-6 was also a PR that ranks 30th in PA.
Yet Clarke is relatively new to track and field, with only two years of experience. He has quickly excelled in the technical discipline that is the triple jump. The learning process has been occasionally painful – sometimes literally – but it’s paying off. He’s aiming to compete in college and has solid offers but is waiting to see how his final postseason plays out. Given the two PRs, it’s probably a wise tack.
Clarke said he didn’t enter the weekend with set goals. States qualification was obviously among the top priorities. But above all, he wanted to make a mark in what could be his final high school meet. At a place like Penn Wood, with its storied track and field history, it’s not easy to achieve something that rates as significant. But Clarke has done just that.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I know when it hits, it’s going to hit really hard,” he said. “I’m up there now with some of our best athletes that have ever gone through Penn Wood, Olympians and all that. And I’m going to keep going further.”
Clarke’s passion for the jumps is readily apparent. It’s driven his steady improvement, and it’s part of what he’ll take away from the weekend at Coatesville. The two medals are great, but’s what they stand for that means the most to Clarke.
“When you go out there, make progress, you see what you can do on the runway,” Clarke said, “you know all the hard work paid off.”
