Hibbert turned pro for Paris bow
WORLD U20 TRIPLE jump record holder Jaydon Hibbert said that the upcoming Paris Olympics was the main reason behind his decision to turn professional after his record-breaking collegiate season with the University of Arkansas.
Hibbert had enjoyed an impressive year in his lone season in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) season. Representing the Arkansas Razorbacks, Hibbert became the youngest-ever winner of the prestigious Bowerman Award in a season where he would set records for the indoor and outdoor collegiate triple jump.
For the outdoor season, Hibbert leapt to a massive 17.87 metres to set a new collegiate record and a world under-20 record in the process. That leap marks him as the best collegiate jumper in history, having already set an indoor collegiate and world U20 record when he cut the sand at 17.54m.
Despite his success at the NCAAs, Hibbert felt that with the Paris Olympics later this year, it was the right time to try his hand at being a professional.
“The deciding factor for me to go pro right now was that I really wanted to sign in an Olympic year and I wanted to exhaust my NIL [name, image and likeness] to maximise on that.”
Along with his decision to enter the professional ranks, Hibbert has inked a deal with German sporting giants PUMA. Hibbert said that with PUMA being the official sponsor of the Jamaica Olympic Association, as well as PUMA’s history with sponsoring Jamaican high school athletics, it was the right decision to make for his career.
“Obviously, they sponsored my high school so they caught my heart from there,” he said.
“Part of it was influenced by me being from Jamaica, so I could be more involved in any branding that PUMA has with Jamaica. PUMA, I think, gives jumpers the best opportunities and that I am a Caribbean athlete, I think I’ll be treated better there.”
Despite leaving the Arkansas Razorbacks track team, Hibbert will still be training with his collegiate coaches, who have been supportive of his decision.
“My coaches were very receptive to my decision. They helped in whichever way that they could and they gave me their two cents. It all came down to me in the end but they respected my decision. There will be no changes in my coaching, I’ll be here i n Arkansas forever, as l ong as my coaches are alive, I’ll be right here.”
Hibbert explained that despite going professional, he is still committed to his education as a student at the University of Arkansas, and is not anticipating any major changes in his priorities. “For me, you can always expect the same thing. You can expect my best. You can expect me to keep trying at each meet and you can expect me to continue staying in school and to do my school work. But overall, it’s just having fun and making wise decisions as I go.”