Slidell’s Khari Woodson, the reigning 1A silver medalist in triple jump, will compete in long jump and triple jump at the UIL 1A track and field championships Saturday at the University of Texas at Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium. MACK THWEATT | WCMESSENGER
Earning his first state berth as a sophomore, Slidell’s Khari Woodson came close to bringing home the top prize in 1A triple jump.
With a year of experience under his belt, Woodson will make his return to the University of Texas at Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium this weekend.
Woodson punched his ticket back to state in triple jump (43-07.25) after winning the 1A Region III title earlier this month at the University of North Texas in Denton. He also earned a state berth in long jump, finishing second with a leap of 20-10.50.
“Honestly, I’m lucky, and I’m excited,” Woodson said. “I’m ready to have a chance to get back what I lost last year. I want to try to push myself to my full potential this time. Competing in two events, I’ve got to keep my legs warm and ready. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make some noise.”
At regionals, Woodson’s gold medal triple jump was more than one foot farther than Saint Jo freshman Damon Byrd, (42-07), who garnered silver and earned a state berth. Ladonia Fannindel’s Kalob Runnels jumped 42-06.25 to claim the bronze medal.
“I definitely think my regional jumps could have been better, but I don’t necessarily think they were bad,” Woodson said. “I had a lot of really good competition against [Byrd] and [Runnels]. I struggled a lot with my balance and was just really inconsistent. But the jumps were good enough to get me back to state again.”
Woodson matched his distance in long jump on his second and third attempts, and beat Runnels (20-03.75) for the second state qualifying spot by about seven inches. Byrd flew ahead of him on his fifth leap, and secured the gold by jumping 21-03.
“I really need to keep working on my form [in long jump],” Woodson said. “My speed and the way I elevate are both perfectly fine, but my form really isn’t where it needs to be. [Byrd] was the one that beat me — he’s only a freshman, and he can really jump. But I’m definitely going to try to beat him at state.”
Preparing for his second trip to Austin, Woodson will compete first in long jump 9 a.m. Saturday.
“If I was to win both events, I would be the first Slidell track athlete to bring back two gold medals,” he said. “I’m really hoping to do that and make history. But if I don’t, it’s cool. I’ve still got another year to go.”
The two-time state qualifier will end his day competing in triple jump at 1 p.m.
Last season, Woodson jumped a personal record 44-04.50 in first attempt, which led the field for the majority of the event. However, then-Henrietta Midway senior Christian Coker measured one inch farther at 44.05.50 on his last jump. With one last attempt, Woodson was unable to overcome the deficit, and finished with the silver medal.
“I really want to bring home a medal [in triple jump],” Woodson said. “Last year, I was upset that I got second. So this year, I really want to win it. Throughout this season, I haven’t really been cocky saying that I’m going to win it since [Coker’s] gone — nothing is guaranteed. I want to use how last year ended to push me.”
Slidell coach Casey Pierce believes Woodson has a shot to fight for the gold medal in both events.
“It’s really amazing he was able to get out in both triple jump and long jump this year,” Pierce said. “I’m proud of the work ethic that he shows and the character kid that he is. We’ve got high expectations, and I know he wants to win it this year. I’m glad he gets another chance, and I like his chances to get back on the podium again.”
Woodson also advanced to finals in three running events at the regional meet. He placed fifth in the 100 (11.43), sixth in the 110 hurdles (18.05) and 10th in the 4×100 with teammates Ezequiel Sandoval, Joseph Ortiz and Fabian Gonzalez.
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