Gold and silver for Sophia Beckmon and Claire Bryant in NACAC U23 long jump
Sophie Beckman (right) and Claire Bryant (left)
July 22, 2023
By Gary Smith | Published on July 22, 2023
USA’s Sophia Beckmon and Claire Bryant won the gold and silver medals in the women’s long jump at the NACAC U23 Championships 2023 in Costa Rica, on Saturday.
Beckmon, a recent graduate of Oregon City High School in Portland, claimed the gold with a wind-assisted jump of 6.69 meters (+2.7 m/s), outpacing her USA teammate, University of Florida’s Claire Bryant. Bryant secured silver with a leap of 6.66m, propelled by a strong +3.4 m/s wind.
The bronze went to Cuba’s Haila Gonzalez, who reached 6.41m (+2.5 m/s). The top three finishers were the only competitors to surpass the six-meter mark during the competition.
Beckmon, the silver medalist in the 100m and 200m and the long jump at Nike Outdoor Nationals 2023 in June, started with an opening jump of 6.05m (+0.4) and, despite faltering on her second attempt, the 17-year-old came back to hit 6.51m (+1.0), 6.62m (+2.8), and finally, her gold-winning leap of 6.69m (+2.7) in the third to fifth rounds.
Bryant’s best result also came in the fifth round, though she consistently performed with jumps of 6.61m (+1.9), 6.58m (+2.0), 6.60m (+0.5), 6.59m (+4.7), and 6.62m (+1.9) across the other rounds.