Jaydon Hibbert: Top facts about Jamaica's world U20 triple jump record holder

In the world of track and field, Jamaicans are known for being some of the most exciting and fastest athletes to watch, from legendary sprinter Usain Bolt to speed queens Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

However, emerging from the Caribbean coast is Jaydon Hibbert, a rising and talented star who is making waves in the men's triple jump.

The teenager recently made headlines by shattering the world U20 triple jump record with a remarkable leap of 17.87m on Saturday (13 May) at the SEC Championships in Baton Rouge.

Here are some interesting facts to know about the jumper, who is expected to rise to the top of his sport and deliver even more impressive performances as a senior.

Jaydon Hibbert began jumping just three years ago

The self-proclaimed "wunderkid" on social media is relatively new to the jumping scene.

Most junior athletes, who pursue vertical jumping, start at a very young age, but this was not the case for Hibbert, who began a structured jump training programme during his final years of high school in Kingston.

He quickly grasped the fundamentals of both the long jump and triple jump, achieving podium finishes in both events at the national level in 2021.

That same year, he secured the gold medal in the boys' triple jump and earned silver in the long jump at the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletic Association event held in Costa Rica.

Jaydon Hibbert’s career took off at the World U20

Having recently entered the world of jumping, Hibbert had the opportunity to represent Jamaica at the 2021 World U20 Championships in Nairobi.

He achieved a personal best of 16.05m, securing the silver medal just behind Gabriel Wallamark from Sweden.

The World U20 experience served as the perfect launching pad for the teenager. In 2022, at the CARIFTA Games, he dominated the long jump and triple jump events, clinching both titles at just 17 years old.

He even set a championship record of 16.46m in the triple jump.

"Wearing the Jamaican colors is always special. Even when you walk around in Jamaican gear, people recognize that it represents the country where Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt hail from," he expressed in an interview with his university, prior to defending his title in the Bahamas.

Jaydon Hibbert is one of the youngest jumpers to surpass 17m

By 2022, the jumping world had already caught glimpses of Jaydon Hibbert's talent as a freshman at Arkansas.

However, it wasn't until last August at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, that they truly realised how exceptional he was. He remained undefeated throughout the competition, securing the top qualifying spot in the triple jump.

In the final, he claimed the gold medal with an incredible leap of 17.27m, becoming one of the youngest jumpers to surpass the 17m mark.

This achievement propelled him to the second position on the all-time U18 world list, just behind Cuba's Jordan Diaz, who achieved a jump of 17.41m in 2018.

The year 2023 has proven to be even more remarkable for Hibbert. His debut season for Arkansas has yielded numerous records. He won the NCAA indoor triple jump with a first attempt jump of 17.54m, a feat that earned him the World Athletics moment of the month award for March.

Additionally, he was named the SEC Indoor Freshman Field Athlete of the Year in the same month.

His mark surpassed the indoor U20 record of 17.20m set by Melvin Raffin of France in 2017, as well as the outdoor U20 standard of 17.50m set by Germany's Volker Mai in 1985.

Jaydon Hibbert on his 17.87mark: 'It's still soaking in’

Heading into the SEC Outdoors, the World U20 champion was unbeaten in three indoor competitions and two outdoor competitions. In Baton Rouge, he surpassed his opening leap of 17.02m with an impressive jump of 17.87m, setting a new world U20 record.

“The mark that I came out here with was 17.4/17.5 at max,” the 18-year-old said about his winning jump in an interview with Sportsmax Tv.

“When I saw the 17.8, I just said ‘Okay, that’s it for me today,’ It’s all about trusting the process. God has shown me in plenty of ways that I am talented. I am obviously favoured. I do put in the hard work, but I have to give this one to God because I don’t think there is any 18-year-old that does the stuff that I do.”

Jaydon Hibbert is ‘very coachable and on top of the game’

The Jamaican triple jumper is currently working with a Travis Geopfert, Hibbert's coach at the University of Arkansas.

Geopfert is having fun training the talented NCAA Indoor champion, who excels not only in the field but also in class.

In an interview shortly after the world record, the coach shared his excitement about being part of the Jamaican’s journey.

“He is a fantastic young man, a joy to coach and he is truly a student athlete.

"He does an excellent job in the classroom, takes care of his business who is ahead of the game academically, always on time to all academic meetings and practice and everything. He is just on top of the game.

"He is very coachable, happy, excited to train and humble at the same time. He is just a fantastic young man and truly a coach’s dream in every way and a joy getting to know him better, he is a motivated young man,” his coach told Sportsmax TV.

Watch out for Jaydon Hibbert at the 2023 World Championships and Paris 2024

Hibbert will still be young enough to compete at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, between 20-25 August.

However, he has already been touted as a strong medal contender at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

And rightfully so, his jump of 17.87m is the second-longest in Jamaican history, just behind James Beckford’s national record of 17.92m.

Furthermore, his impressive performance also secures him the world lead for 2023, surpassing Hugues Fabrice Zango’s 17.81m achieved during the opening round of the Diamond League Series in Doha.