PHILADELPHIA – There were reasons for Shane Green to be concerned. The Erasmus Hall star triple jumper only leapt 44 feet, well below his best, on his first attempt of the trials and his right knee was starting to hurt a bit.
“Coach [Richard Carlin] said I was touching the board, but I just got to stretch more on the first jump,” Green said. “My knee was hurting on top of it. I didn’t want to jump, but then I found energy. “
Any reason to worry was progressively taken away and filled with accomplishment and encouragement toward things to come. Green placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 48-07.5 on his second attempt of the finals Saturday during the Penn Relays at Franklin Field. The senior jumped more than 48 feet twice during the finals. Marquis Dendy (Middle Town, Del.) won the event with a leap of 50-08.25.
“He is the kind of jumper who can come back from that,” said Carlin, his jump coach. “He proved that today. He came through when others might have folded. He showed the type of winner he is.”
A year ago in the meet, Green placed 13th with a leap of 45-2.25 and did not make the final. He started the season jumping 45 feet and it’s just his second time competing outdoors. The goal is to get over 49 feet, a mark he hit during the indoor season, jumping 49-8.5 to place second at New Balance indoor Nationals. His performance today has him believing accomplishing that is in reach and maybe more.
“It felt good,” Green said of placing third.” With a little adjustment I will go 50.”
Fellow Brooklyn jumper Rolyce Boston of Sheepshead Bay wasjust happy to be jumping again. He suffered a strained calf competing at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in March and had not competed since. The senior placed seventh in the long jump with a leap of 43-01.75.
“It felt great,” Boston said. “I’m a little bit happy with my performance. My first three jumps of the finals, they were good. They felt good. Everything was good. I was just over the board by like a toe.”
Jamaican Jerome Wilson (Kingstown) won the event with a mark of 24-03.75. Xavier’s Keith Mesidor was 13th with a jump of 22-01.5 and Wilson Martinez of Far Rockaway placed 15th in 21-09. When Boston hit his best jump he clapped his hands and smiled while looking at the board.
“I actually have the potential to come back and go over 22,” Boston said. “Last year I jumped and I didn’t make finals. It felt good to make the final, too.”