Taylor James cleared 5-8.25 to win the high jump at the St. Vrain Invite.
Taylor James stood intently near the top of the track. She eyed the high jump pole through her dark sunglasses as runners sprinted around the track. The Niwot freshman had already dismantled her competition - a good field at that - and now the only one remaining to beat was herself. She had already nabbed a personal best, now the only question was how high she'd go before capping the day.
20 meters in front of her the bar stood at 5-8.25. She had entered the meet with a modest PR of 5-6.5, but she'd be leaving with the second best mark in all-classifications.
James leaned back, never letting her eyes waver from the bar she would have to clear, then she bound forward, taking massive strides towards the bar. She leapt off the world and for a brief second sailed through the air, curling herself backwards. She kicked her feet back and rolled over the bar without touching it. When she crashed onto the mat she quickly looked at the bar which remained untouched, an unmoved.
James let out an shriek of excitment as she had triumphed over the bar, and over herself. She had claimed the event in a two-inch PR, and the No. 2 mark in all-classifications. The freshman was all smiles as she quickly made her way off the mat to hug her coach, and personally thank each official within the high jump area.
James had won the day, and she wasn't the only one who tallied an impressive day. The St. Vrain Invitational lived up to the hype, and to its own history, as a laundry-list of of highlights shifted state rankings across every classification.
Mark Roberts ran a top-notch meet, as always, which set the stage for an incredible amount of top-notch performances.