CHARLESTON — Malik Johnson leaped from the board, soared through the air and landed as a state champion in the triple jump Saturday, May 30 in the IHSA boys state track and field finals.
He launched 48 feet, 4.5 inches and stunned even himself with the longest triple jump effort in Illinois this season and a top 80 effort nationally.
“I can’t believe it,” said the Peoria High School senior, grinning. “It’s even better than I thought it could be. My mom told me I could do this. She told me.”
His mother, LaToya, was right there in the grandstand Saturday watching her son’s every move. When Malik started out his athletic career as a kid, he was into track and field.
But he switched to basketball.
“She told me to switch back to track,” he said. “I did it, just got back into it, and now here I am.
“I could feel the competitors trying to push me, catch me, but I didn’t let it bother me. I’m just so excited now. I’m a champion.”
Johnson finished 20th in the long jump. His teammate, senior Cam Gunn, was ninth in the high jump at 6 feet, 6 inches.
For Johnson and Gunn, Saturday was both a finish line to their prep careers and a starting line for college. The teammates will be competing in this same O’Brien Field for Eastern Illinois University’s track and field team next season.
Open the floodgates
The Peoria area saw a title tidal wave roll in, with six state championships produced in a span of about two hours or so down the deep stretch of the meet.
At 1:55 p.m., Illini Central junior Coriell Green junior won the class 1A 800 in 1:51.83.
“I’m very happy,” Green said. “I came in wanting to break my PR, and look what happened. I tied my PR, right down to the 100th. So close. But still, happy.”
Metamora’s Zach Born beats IVC’s Aiden Duhs for the state title in a terrific class 2A 800 battle down the final few meters.
“… I just reeled him in, reeled him in, reeled him in, broke him at probably the last 25 meters and got the job done,” Born said.
Washington junior Ben Gorsage delivered a stunning title run in class 3A 800. His 1:49.88 was the fastest time in Illinois this season and 17th fastest in the nation.
“Ben and I live 10 minutes apart,” Born said. “It’s easy for us to talk about running, he’s a great competitor, great runner, and it’s easy to help each other build confidence.”
Metamora’s Jaiduan Cranford anchored a 4×200 relay state title win for Metamora at 1:27.08, the ninth-fastest time in the state this season.
Trae Brickner of Peoria Christian rumbled and stumbled to a Class 1A state title in 300 hurdles in 37.87 seconds.
Finally, at 4:20 p.m., Morton rolled to the 4×400 title in 3:15.94.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria senior among wave of local winners at IHSA track and field finals
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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