World Under-20 Triple Jump record holder is looking to make up for his bad luck at last year’s World Championships in Budapest with a good performance in the Paris Olympics.
The 19-year-old phenom entered last year’s World Championships as one of the best jumpers on the planet at the young age of 18 thanks to his World Under-20 record 17.87m he did to win the SEC Outdoor title in Baton Rouge last May.
At the time of those World Championships, the former Kingston College standout had also produced jumps of 17.56m, 17.68m and 17.66m, making him one of the favorites for the gold medal.
In the preliminary round of the triple jump in Budapest on August 19, Hibbert produced the furthest jump in qualifying with 17.70m to book a spot in the final scheduled for two days later.
Unfortunately, during his first attempt, Hibbert stopped in his approach to the board with some discomfort in his hamstring.
He was unable to attempt another jump and ended the final with no mark. He didn’t jump again that season.
Now, one year later, Hibbert will get another opportunity to go toe-to-toe on the big stage with some of the best in the world at the Paris Olympics.
“I’m just really excited and pumped up especially after last year in Budapest,” Hibbert told Nationwide 90FM on Friday, noting that his injury in Budapest made him depressed and sad for some time.
“I have to forget what happened in Budapest because it literally broke me for months,” he said.
“I was depressed and so sad but I had to get over it. Thank God for the confidence I have now and for the lessons that I’m learning now in the sport and it just makes me more hungry to give out my best,” he added.
Going into these Olympics, Hibbert’s season’s best of 17.75m dome at the Racers Grand Prix on June 1 puts him third in the world this season behind Spain’s Jordan Diaz and Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo.
Diaz and Pichardo put on one of the most thrilling triple jump duels ever at the European Championships in Rome in June.
Both men went over 18m with Diaz winning gold with 18.18m, the third longest jump of all time, and Pichardo jumping 18.04m in second.
If Hibbert wants to medal, there is a good chance he’ll have to at least surpass James Beckford’s national record of 17.92m done back in 1995.
“Right now, I’m even more focused to go out there and give it my best. There may be uncertainties here and there but the biggest thing is to just trust what God has for you,” Hibbert said.
Men’s triple jump qualification at the Olympics gets underway on Wednesday, August 7.