Some things never change in the world of track & field: Kenyans will always be dominant in the long and mid-range distances, and no one will ever try anything but a Fosbury style leap in the High Jump. A look at a Kenyan High School track meet shows that there might be a different way to clear 2 meters and possibly even more.
In a unique video from the track meet at the rift valley, we see two kids of Masai ancestry clear what seems to be 2 meters in the high jump, using a front first technique, which is hardly seen, not only in among professionals, but also among amateurs, ever since Dick Fosbury introduced the style in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
The rift valley in Kenya is occupied mostly by the Kalenjin and the Masai. Most of the nation’s top runners come from the Rift valley, and are of Kalenjin ethnicity. The Masai have the most recognizable cultural identity, both nationally and internationally, and serve as Kenya’s international cultural symbol, but aren’t usually known for their endeavors for Kenya in the Olympic games and other international sporting events.
One response to “Kenyan High School Students Clears 2 Meters Front First in High Jump”
[…] According to Sportige, these two young jumpers were competing in a high school track meet in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya when this video of their feet-first jump technique was taken. The jumpers leap over what is estimated to be a solid two meters. As you can see, it’s not exactly the style of leaping that we’ve come to expect from high jumpers. […]