RICHMOND, Ky. – Athletic tape.
That is all that held together
Tequan Claitt's shoe when he won gold in the high jump as a freshman at the 2016 OVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships last May.
Late in the competition, with Claitt dueling one other athlete for the title, he jumped and felt his ankle come out of his shoe.
"I immediately knew it had ripped," he said.
Upon inspection, the dire diagnosis was confirmed. The sole supporting Claitt's right heel had ripped apart from the rest of his shoe.
There appeared to be three options:
- Borrow a teammates' spikes
- Jump barefooted
- Drop out
Claitt's answer: none of the above.
"I love my spikes," he said. "They're light, they fit to my foot well and, to be honest, I like the colors. I can't jump wearing any other spikes."
Claitt won the OVC high jump title in 2016 with a taped-together shoe
Enter: the athletic tape.
A few sturdy rotations of the adhesive provided temporary life to Claitt's beloved, yet mortally wounded, New Balances.
It was time to jump again.
As if spurred by the adversity that comes with trying to compete in a sport while wearing a taped-together shoe, Claitt delivered the best jump of his life.
He defeated SIUE star Julian Harvey – who, one day earlier, had been voted OVC Field Athlete of the Year – to earn the gold medal. His winning leap of 7-1.5 is, to this day, the third-best high jump in EKU history and the best since Kenny Wilson went 7-2 in 1984.
As for his spikes?
"I kept them," Claitt said with a reverent grin. "And my mom is actually going to frame them."
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Just to be safe, Claitt – now a sophomore – has since purchased three extra pairs of the hot pink-and-black New Balance MD800V3 spikes.
The "MD" in the shoe's name? It stands for "mid-distance."
"Tequan's shoes are actually made for mid-distance runners," assistant coach
O'Brian Bridges said, with a bemused chuckle. "He refuses to wear real jumping spikes."
Claitt's rogue choice of footwear is symbolic of his unconventional approach to high jumping, in general.
For instance … he jumps off the wrong leg.
"I tore the ACL in my left knee my sophomore year of high school, and it really forced me to change up the way I do a lot of things," Claitt explained. "My left leg is still not 100%, so my right leg is now my power leg."
His approach to the bar? Is that normal?
"I stutter-step a lot and my speed is inconsistent," Claitt noted.
How about preparation?
"I'm not real into stretching," he admitted. "I feel like every time I stretch, the results are bad. So I try not to stretch too much."
How do the coaches feel about all of this?
"That's just Tequan," Bridges said, with a smile. "It's what we've come to expect. He's unique, and that shows in what he wears, the way he preps, the way he jumps … everything."
Claitt has embraced his unique style.
"You can't do what everybody else is doing, because then you're trying to do something you're not comfortable with," Claitt said. "And I'm comfortable with the way I'm doing things now. It's working out."
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Working out, indeed.
A three-sport star (track and field, football and basketball) at Bryan Station High School in Lexington, Claitt arrived at EKU in the fall of 2015 as an unheralded walk-on.
He did not stay unheralded for long.
Claitt entered the 2016 OVC Indoor Championships last February ranked fifth in the conference in the high jump; however, he blew away the field, beating his nearest competitor – Harvey – by over three inches with a leap of 6-11.75.
He was the first Colonel to win gold in the high jump – indoor or outdoor – since Tyrone Walker in 2002.
"Tequan's a gamer," Bridges said. "He loves to compete, and the bigger the stage, the better he performs."
Claitt nearly qualified for the NCAA Championships as a freshman
Claitt continued to improve during the outdoor season.
He jumped 7-1 at Louisville in late April, and then delivered the now-legendary "taped shoe" performance at the OVC Outdoor Championships in May.
Claitt finished 16
th at the NCAA East Regional Championships in Jacksonville, Florida two weeks later, narrowly missing on qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Nevertheless, his presence had been announced.
Claitt's leap of 7-1.5 was the fourth-best high jump by any freshman in the country last season.
"It was humbling, coming to college as a walk-on," Claitt said. "But it made me realize nobody really knows you until you make yourself known. So that is what I did."
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Claitt grew up on EKU's campus – literally.
He was born in Avon Park, Florida; however, when he was five years old, his stepdad, Chris Washington, received an offer to play football at EKU.
Claitt and his mom, Daphne, moved to Richmond with Washington and lived at the now-defunct Brockton apartments, across the street from the present-day Fitness and Wellness
Young Claitt with his stepdad, Chris Washington, at an EKU football game at Roy Kidd Stadium
Center.
Washington played on the Colonel offensive line from 2002-06. Both of Claitt's parents graduated from Eastern with degrees in environmental health sciences.
Claitt, meanwhile, attended Madison Middle School before moving to Lexington and enrolling at Bryan Station.
In high school, Claitt dreamed of playing football at the next level, like his stepdad.
However, the ACL injury he suffered forced him to miss his entire sophomore season on the gridiron. By the time he was cleared, it was spring.
It was track season.
"I had a breakout sophomore year the track," Claitt remembered. "And I never looked back."
He chose to continue his track and field career at EKU because of his familiarity with the campus, and because his family and friends would be right up the road.
"I have a great support system around here," Claitt said. "They keep me lifted, and they make realize how fortunate I really am."
Claitt has never regretted his decision to focus on track. Now, instead of aspirations to play wide receiver in the NFL, he has aspirations to, someday, high jump in the Olympics.
But first … there is business to take care of at EKU.
"The goal is to win two OVC gold medals every year," Claitt said. "One for indoor, and one for outdoor."
That goal will be put to the test this weekend at the 2017 OVC Indoor Championships in Charleston, Illinois.
Claitt enters the meet ranked second in the conference in the high jump with a leap of 6-11.75. The only person ranked above him? The super-talented Julian Harvey (7-0.25) … who, again, has been voted OVC Field Athlete of the Year.
This time, however, Claitt will not have the element of surprise. He is no longer the unheralded walk-on. He is the defending champion, and he will carry a target on his back.
On facing his age-old nemesis again, only this time with a hint of added pressure:
"I don't like losing," Claitt said. "So, we'll see what happens …"
Claitt and his various non-conformities, including the hot pink-and-black New Balance MD800V3 spikes (and, hopefully, some athletic tape, just in case), will compete in the high jump on Friday, beginning at around 5:30 p.m. ET.
Click here to watch live.
