Hibbert’s mom has a front-row seat to history
Published:Monday | August 21, 2023 | 12:06 AM
BUDAPEST, Hungary:
In what will be the biggest moment of Jaydon Hibbert’s life today when he competes in his first senior World Championships final, he will have the support of his mother, Tanesha Powell, in the stands. She is grateful to have an experience that she herself couldn’t even dream of.
Both Powell and her son have journeyed together through Hibbert’s rise to the ranks, from prep school to Kingston College, the University of Arkansas, and now, the World Championships.
Seeing Hibbert compete on the stage caused her to reflect on a year that Hibbert broke the under-20 world record (17.87m) which is the number one jump in the world this year. Powell said that the seeds were planted years earlier when Hibbert was finding his path in athletics
“To be honest, I expected it because he looked at me and said, ‘Mom, I think I found my event’. At Kingston College, he didn’t know what event he would do well. He sat down, and one day he saw someone doing the triple jump, and he said, ‘Mom I think I can do that,’” Powell told The Gleaner. “The first day he went and he told the coach, ‘I want to try the triple jump’. And the first jump he tried, the coach said, ‘Jaydon, you are on the team’. So it was like he was born to do triple jump, so I didn’t expect anything less.”
Today, he will be the first Jamaican in 28 years to participate in a men’s triple jump final at the World Championships and could be the first Jamaican to become champion after leading the qualifiers on Saturday with a mark of 17.70m. James Beckford reached the final of the triple jump at the 1995 championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, and placed sixth with a wind-aided 17.13m effort.
But the opportunity for Powell to have this unforgettable experience to see her son perform on the biggest stage is priceless.
“This experience that I got, this is more than enough. Being here to see my son perform is awesome. It’s a big opportunity, and I am grateful. I looked at him and said, ‘Jaydon, thank you for giving me this opportunity to travel to Europe. I dreamt about going to other countries, but I didn’t dream about coming here (to Hungary).”
And she has faith that when she watches her son tonight, she could see history unfold before her eyes.
“I believe so. I believe that he will get the gold. The same as how he broke the world under-20 record, I believe he can get it,” Powell said.