EUGENE – After completing day one of the women’s heptathlon competition with 3501 points through four events, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s sensational Safiya John completed day two of the competition as a fan favorite.
Completion of the 100-meter hurdles, shot put, high jump, and 200-meter dash left John will only three more events – the long jump, javelin throw, and 800-meter run.
John’s day began at 10:30 in the morning with the long jump, which happens to be one of her most vital events.
In her first jump of the three-jump flight series, John popped off a light 5.62 meters to find her groove on the runway before heading over to her jump coach, assistant NaTonya Davidson, to hear the tips to get a better approach for an even further mark.
On the runway for her second jump, John would take the words given to her by Davidson and put them all together. Giving more speed on the runway and hitting the board, John popped herself into the air to land close to the six-meter barrier with a mark of 5.97 meters (19-7) to finish fifth to earn 840 points.
John then made her way to the open field for the heptathlon javelin throw but in bad weather conditions. Her first throw of the three-throw series marked her furthest throw with a distance of 32.39 meters (106-3) for 522 points added to her total.
John then took some time to herself to get mentally prepared for the two-lapped 800-meter run for the last event of the women’s heptathlon. Running to a set position, the gun went off to give John the motion to get her legs moving around the track.
“Move Safi” is what spectators heard from John’s coaches to give to push her to the finish line as the lactic acid began to build in her legs before crossing the finish line with a time of 2:24.55 to add 763 points to her total.
“It was an honor to work with Safiya the last four years,” said UAPB head coach Christopher McCoy about how proud he was of John’s accomplishments through the years before reaching the ultimate point of her collegiate track & field career.
“When you come somewhere, and you’re ranked last and move up to 10th place by beating 14 people ranked higher than you, that says a lot about Safiya as an athlete and the hard work she’s put in here at UAPB.”
John finished the competition in 10th place out of 24 with a new personal best of 5626 points in the heptathlon.
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