Feb. 26, 2008
By Heather Thomas
UC Davis Athletics Media Relations
On April 28 of last year, Jah Bennett became one of only two high jumpers to surpass the seven-foot mark in UC Davis history. Bennett's jump earned him a spot in the Aggie record books as well as the attention of Liberia.
"At the Fresno dual, I jumped seven feet and a quarter inch," Bennett said. "It was also the qualifying mark for the World University Games. They [Liberia] found out and they contacted my high jump coach and he called me."
His history-making jump was enough to convince Liberia that Bennett could be one of the best high jumpers from their country. For Bennett, the opportunity was obvious:
"It was an experience first of all because at every meet you have one or two really good athletes, but over there every single athlete was world class. It was a learning experience."
The World University Games is the first step for many athletes towards the elite levels. Every two years, athletes who are currently competing at the college level, in graduate school or have graduated less than a year before the Games can compete.
Bennett traveled to Bangkok, Thailand in August to compete against 140 other countries. Despite being summer, the weather had taken a bad turn for the athletes. Constant rain and humidity made conditions difficult, especially for the high jump.
"It was in a wind storm," track and field head coach Jon Vochatzer said. "Of course he wasn't used to jumping in the rain. For a lot of the athletes who go through that, it's an experience to see what it takes to really focus in, what to expect and how the system works."
Bennett finished the day with a no height after missing the first three jumps. It was the first time he had competed beyond the collegiate level and it also gave him the chance to represent his home country. He left Liberia at the age of five; his mother put him on a plane to the United States by himself to ensure he escaped the Liberian Civil War in 1990.
"I felt like I could do something for my country," Bennett said. "I felt very proud and it felt like something I should do."
Bennett may get the chance to represent Liberia again as a member of their Olympic team. He must improve by four inches to reach the qualifying height which is 7-feet-4 1/4.
But improvement is no stranger to Bennett. Since coming to UC Davis, he has gained nine inches on his jumps thanks to the Aggie coaching staff, especially Hideshi Okamoto.
"Hideshi has really brought him along immensely," Vochatzer said of the fourth-year assistant coach who will be the high jumping coach for Japan at the 2008 Olympic Games. "Jah is only 5-10 so for him to jump that high is really amazing. He is one of those guys that are so coachable in that he listens but he also responds to the information and can make changes quickly. He's gone through a transformation in the last five years."
Bennett will continue to master the technique and mental challenges to get to the next level.
"My main problem is mental because I can lose it just like that," Bennett said. "I need to learn how to keep my mind right and just jump.
"My ultimate goal is to jump what I need for the Olympic team," he added. "For now I'm working a weekend at a time and I'm going to aim for 7-1 first, then 7-2 and I'll work to 7-4. I'm just going to take it an inch at a time."
