By McKenzie Days, University of Oregon SOJC Track Bureau
Italian Emmanuel Ihemeje, who also competes for the University of Oregon, placed fifth Saturday at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 22 in the men’s triple jump with his final jump of 17.7 meters, a big improvement from his 11th-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Ihemeje is well acquainted with Hayward Field by now. He is a three-time NCAA champion for the Oregon Ducks.
The upcoming sophomore is a three-time NCAA champion. He started with a strong first impression in his first competition by breaking the indoor Oregon record with a mark of 53 feet, 10.25 inches at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 30, 2021. Then, in his first indoor season at Oregon, he claimed the indoor title with a 56 feet, 7 ½ inches. He has since won another indoor title and one outdoor title the following season.
Ihemeje’s progress is remarkable after not placing in the top eight after his Olympic debut. He felt bittersweet about his performance today.
“A lot of positivity compared to last year in Tokyo,” Ihemeje said. “Still a little bit of pain because the podium was so close and doable.”
Ihemeje said he was trying to get the podium on his final jump. Although his jump carried him from sixth to fifth, he needed about 4.6 more inches to get to third place.
After Ihemeje leaped his final jump, he got up to bid goodbye to his home crowd with a wave while smiling.
He said he’d summarize his first World Championship experience in his home base as “beautiful.” He is “really proud” and “handled it” and “had fun with it.”
“I told myself either I will have a miracle or I would have done my race,” Ihemeje said. “I’m leaving this championship with proudness from myself, and on to the next one.”
Despite his results, Ihemeje attributed his success in advancing to the finals to his comfort and familiarity with the field.
“It feels good to be home,” Ihemeje told the Register-Guard. “Like I always say, this is kind of my comfort zone. This is where I eat, sleep, repeat.”
Ihemeje plans to take one competition at a time and continue to focus.
“It’s progress,” Ihemeje said “I’m 23, so the world will definitely know me for sure. This is all experience.”
