(VI Consortium) The British Virgin Islands has great cause for celebration after its long jump star, Chantel Malone, during competition on Saturday bested many opponents in the 2021 Olympics with a jump distance of 6.82 meters, securing her spot in the finals set for Monday at 9:50 p.m. local time.
Ms. Malone needed 6.75 meters to qualify for the finals, according to the BVI Olympic Committee. She achieved the 6.82 feat on the third attempt.
This year’s Olympics, being held in Tokyo, Japan, is Ms. Malone’s first. She qualified for the games with her season and personal best distance of 7.08 meters, which she achieved in March, according to the BVIOC.
Following the victory, she said, “I’m excited, I’m happy to be going into the finals. As you know, I’ve been struggling with being 100 percent healthy… So to be able to go out there and hit 6.82 was the reassurance that I needed. And, honestly, I feel like it’s a testament to the growth as an athlete just because the old me would have folded after I had two bad jumps.”
