Promise kept!
KC’S Pinnock delivers in style...dedicates long jump win to late mother
A father’s prayer answered and a son’s promise delivered.
Such was the case for Kingston College’s Wayne Pinnock, who soared to a scintillating record of 8.05 metres in the boys’ Class One long jump on day two of the ongoing Issa/gracekennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletic Championships at the National Stadium yesterday.
The emotions ran high as a sea of purple filled the cycle track in celebration of Pinnock’s massive leap which received loud cheers and applause from those in attendance.
Pinnock has been promising much all season in honour of his father and late mother, who passed away six years ago, and he soundly delivered with his superb 8-metre leap that destroyed the 26-yearold mark of 7.87m set by Vere Technical’s Leon Gordon in 1993.
The achievement came as no surprise to Pinnock, who showed his class and form at the Gibson/ Mccook Relays earlier this year when he achieved a wind-aided 8.14m.
However, with this breathtaking performance done in a negative 0.8 miles per second (mps) reading, Pinnock became the first Class One athlete to legally go beyond 8 metres at these championships and also register a world-leading mark by an under-20 athlete this year.
The mark ranks him eighth in the world among senior athletes. He won ahead of teammate Shacquille Lowe (7.61m) and St Elizabeth Technical’s Michael Buchanan with a mark of 7.26m.
“It wasn’t that surprising because I did it before, but it was wind-aided and, as I said, the Lord was just reserving that 8-metre jump. I thought it would come at the World (Under-20), but I got it at this championship so it was a really great feeling for me,” Pinnock told the Jamaica Observer.
So heart-warming was the performance that the tears flowed freely from the 18-year-old, who was the first Jamaican male to medal in the long jump at a World Under-20 Championships when he won bronze in Finland last year.
Pinnock had earlier recorded 7.95m before returning to topple that mark in an impressive fashion.
“I was just remembering my mom speaking with me and telling me that ‘you know you have this in you, you just have to go out there and do what you have to do’ and that’s what I did. She is not here right now to see my success, but I have to still continue pushing, and this is for her,” the soft-spoken athlete added.
While Pinnock, with his late mother on his mind sombrely celebrated, his father Wendell Pinnock was sending up praises.
“I feel so joyful for everything. Last night I prayed for him so long and this morning again I got up and I prayed for him and ask the Lord to give him the courage, to guide him and strengthen him to do what he is supposed to do,” the proud father shared.
“I know he [Wayne] was going to give me the gold medal because he called me this morning and said ‘Daddy, make sure that my two aunties will be here’ and I told him not to worry I am going to ensure that they come. So, I feel so happy right now, and I give God thanks and praises for what He has done for Wayne. God is good,” the senior Pinnock declared with tears in his eyes.