Jarrion Lawson (/ˈjæriən/ JARR-ee-ən; born May 6, 1994)[2] is an American sprinter and long jumper. He placed third in the men's long jump at the 2012 World Junior Championships. Competing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, he won five individual NCAA championship titles and one relay title between 2014 and 2016; he won three events (the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump) at the 2016 NCAA outdoor championships, a triple previously accomplished only by Jesse Owens.
![]() Lawson during 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Nationality | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Texarkana, Texas[1] | May 6, 1994||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 172 lb (78 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 100 meters 200 meters Long jump | ||||||||||||||||||||
College team | Arkansas Razorbacks | ||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
Personal bests |
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Medal record
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Career
editLawson took up track and his father is Claude Woodberry of Texarkana and field at a young age, but was not initially a particularly promising age group athlete; he made his breakthrough during his freshman and sophomore years at Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas. In addition to track, he played on Liberty-Eylau's football and basketball teams.[3] In June 2012, shortly after graduating from Liberty-Eylau, he won both the long jump and the triple jump at the national junior championships and was selected to represent the United States in both events at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona.[4][5] Lawson won bronze in the long jump in Barcelona, jumping 7.64 m (25 ft 3⁄4 in) on his best attempt; in the triple jump he was eliminated in the qualifying round.[5]
After graduating from high school Lawson attended the University of Arkansas and represented the Arkansas Razorbacks in collegiate competition. As a freshman, he placed fourth in the long jump with a personal best 7.92 m (26 ft 0 in) at the 2013 NCAA indoor championships and helped the Razorbacks win the indoor team title.[5][6] Outdoors, he won the long jump at the West Regional, but was only 14th at the NCAA meet.[5] He had to drop triple jumping due to knee problems, but started dabbling in the sprints instead; at the NCAA championships he ran the second leg on the Razorbacks' 4 × 100 m relay team, which placed fifth.[5][7]
Lawson won his first individual NCAA title as a sophomore at the 2014 indoor meet, jumping a personal best 8.39 m (27 ft 6+1⁄4 in) at the altitude of Albuquerque; he won by more than a foot.[5] Outdoors, he failed to qualify for the NCAA meet individually, but placed second behind Jeff Henderson at the national championships two weeks later.[5] In 2015 Lawson became an individual-event doubler again, as he started running the individual 100 meters; he broke the Arkansas school record in the NCAA championship semi-finals with 10.04 (+1.7 m/s), and placed third with a wind-aided 9.90 (+2.7 m/s) in the final. The Razorbacks won the 4 × 100 m relay.[5][7] In the long jump, he jumped a season best 8.27 m (27 ft 1+1⁄2 in) at the NCAA indoor championships and a personal outdoor best 8.34 m (27 ft 4+1⁄4 in) at the outdoor championships, but lost to Florida's Marquis Dendy both times.[5]
Lawson regained the NCAA indoor long jump title as a senior in 2016, winning with a last-round jump of 7.95 m (26 ft 1 in); in addition, he placed fifth in the 60 meters with a personal best 6.60 seconds.[8] Outdoors, Lawson took up the 200 meters for the first time; at the SEC outdoor championships he won the long jump, placed fourth in the 100 meters and was sixth in the 200 meters.[5][7] His 200-meter times dropped from meet to meet, and he placed second in his heat with a personal best 20.17 (+1.5 m/s) at the West Regionals; he qualified for the NCAA championships in all three events.[5]
At the 2016 NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene Lawson won the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the long jump, a triple previously achieved only by Jesse Owens eighty years earlier. His individual meet score of 31.5 points, including partial credit for Arkansas' third place in the 4 × 100 m relay, was also the best since Owens.[9][10][note 1] In the long jump, Lawson took the lead in round four and secured first place with his fifth-round leap of 8.15 m (26 ft 8+3⁄4 in).[10] He narrowly defeated Tennessee's Christian Coleman in both sprints, running 10.22 (-2.3 m/s) in the 100 meters and 20.19 (-0.2 m/s) in the longer race; LSU's Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake led the 200-meter semi-finals ahead of Lawson, but lost his chances after suffering a cramp in the relay.[10][11]
Professional career
editLawson turned professional after the 2016 collegiate season and signed an endorsement deal with ASICS.[12] At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials he broke his personal best in the long jump, jumping 8.58 m (28 ft 1+3⁄4 in); he placed a close second behind Jeff Henderson and qualified for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[13] He also qualified for the Trials final in the 100 meters, but placed seventh in 10.07 (+1.6 m/s) and failed to make the team in that event.[14]
In 2018, Lawson tested positive for a metabolite of the banned anabolic steroid, trenbolone, and was banned for 4 years. After a failed appeal of the ban to the AIU, Lawson took has case to CAS, where his ban was overturned on the grounds that the positive test was due to tainted beef. He was then able to return to competition in 2020.[15]
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Wind (m/s) | Notes |
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2012 | USATF Junior Championships | Robert C. Haugh Complex Bloomington, Indiana |
1st | Long Jump | 7.77 m (25 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | +2.5 | [16] |
1st | Triple Jump | 15.64 m (51 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | +0.5 | ||||
2014 | U.S. Championships | Sacramento, California | 2nd | Long Jump | 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in) | +2.6 | [17] |
2015 | U.S. Championships | Hayward Field Eugene, Oregon |
5th | Long Jump | 8.36 m (27 ft 5 in) | +2.4 | [18] |
Representing ASICS | |||||||
2016 | U.S. Olympic Trials | Hayward Field Eugene, Oregon |
7th | 100 m | 10.07 | +1.6 | [19] |
11th | 200 m | 20.50 | +0.4 | ||||
2nd | Long Jump | 8.58 m (28 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | +1.8 | ||||
2017 | U.S. Championships | Sacramento, California | 11th | 100 m | 10.24 | −1.6 | [20] |
1st | Long Jump | 8.49 m (27 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | +3.7 | ||||
2018 | U.S. Indoor Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1st | Long Jump | 8.38 m (27 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | n/a | A, SB [21] |
U.S. Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 20th | 100 m | 10.24 | +1.4 | [22][23] | |
20th | 200 m | 21.27 | +0.3 | ||||
2022 | 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Spokane, Washington | 1st | Long Jump | 8.19 m (26 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | n/a |
Notes
edit- ^ Owens won four events (the two sprints, the long jump, and the later discontinued 220-yard low hurdles) in both 1935 and 1936.
References
edit- ^ "Jarrion Lawson". teamusa.org. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "LAWSON Jarrion". Olympics.com. 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Krider, Dave (June 13, 2012). "Spotlight: Jarrion Lawson jumps into the nation's elite". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Kirby (June 16, 2012). "Jarrion Lawson sweeps jumps at USA Junior Championships". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jarrion Lawson at Tilastopaja (registration required)
- ^ "Jarrion Lawson". Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c Henry, Clay (June 4, 2016). "Lawson more than a jumper". Arkansas Online. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ "Men's Bowerman Trophy Semifinalists". U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Archived from the original on June 23, 2016.
- ^ Bolin, Eric W. (June 10, 2016). "Lawson wins three NCAA titles, the best since Jesse Owens". Arkansas News. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c Dennehy, Cathal; Mulkeen, Jon (June 11, 2016). "Lawson and Brazier rewrite history at NCAA Championships". IAAF. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ Mickles, Sheldon (June 10, 2016). "Injury to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake proves costly as LSU track and field team claims 5th at NCAA championships". The Advocate. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (June 30, 2016). "Asics signs sprinter Jarrion Lawson to endorsement deal". ESPN. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ Rosen, Karen (July 3, 2016). "Allyson Felix Overcomes Ankle Sprain to Take 400 Title, Make Fourth Olympic Team". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Alex (July 4, 2016). "Jarrion Lawson qualifies for Olympics in long jump, misses cut in 100m". KTBS. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- ^ "Jarrion Lawson, Olympic long jumper, cleared in tainted beef doping case". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ "2012 USATF Junior Championships - 6/15/2012 to 6/17/2012 - Bloomington, Indiana - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 17, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "2014 USA Track & Field Championships - 6/25/2014 to 6/29/2014 - Hornet Stadium - Sacramento, California - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 29, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "2015 USATF Outdoor Championships - Results - FULL". usatf.org. USATF. June 28, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field Results". usatf.org. USATF. July 10, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "2017 USATF Championships - 6/22/2017 to 6/25/2017 - Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, Calif. - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 25, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "2018 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships - 2/16/2018 to 2/18/2018 - Albuquerque Convention Center - Results". usatf.org. USATF. February 19, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "2018 USATF Championships - 6/21/2018 to 6/24/2018 - Drake Stadium - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 24, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ Gene Cherry; Greg Stutchbury (June 21, 2018). "Rodgers speeds to year's fastest 100 meters". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved February 27, 2019.