It may not have been enough for him to qualify for regionals, but Permian triple jumper Kheeaundre Abdul-Aziz won’t complain about setting a personal best.
The junior finished with a mark of 42 feet, 7 inches to finish fifth in the triple jump at the Area Track and Field Meet Friday at Ratliff Stadium.
He was just one place shy of qualifying for regionals.
“I feel like I started off well,” Abdul-Aziz said. “I set a PR today so I felt l had some good jumps today.
Considering how far he’s come from the start of the season, there’s plenty of hope as he goes into next spring.
At the start of the year, Abdul-Aziz was posting jumps of about 38 feet in the triple jump.
“The first meet, I was on junior varsity,” Abdul-Aziz said. “I’ve improved a lot this season. I think I’ve improved like two or four feet from the start of the year.”
He managed to qualify for this year’s area track meet after taking fourth at the District 2-6A meet last week in Wolfforth.
“The biggest thing going through my head today was staying calm and trusting my coaches,” Abdul-Aziz said.
Last week, he posted a jump of 42-3.
He owed part of his personal record to a certain candy.
“Purple Skittles are my favorite candy,” Abdul-Aziz said with a laugh. “It gives me the best luck.”
Throughout this spring, his goal has been the same.
“Every time I go to a meet, I want to set a personal record,” Abdul-Aziz said. “Also, my other biggest goals was to advance as far as I can.”
This season was Abdul-Aziz’s first year competing in track and field at the high school level. He last did track and field back in the eighth grade.
“I like competing,” Abdul-Aziz said. “I’m hoping to go to college for it.”
Permian coach Stan Hodges says that Abdul-Aziz is a hard worker.
“Everything that he does, he puts his best foot forward,” Hodges said. “He’s trying to improve as an athlete. He’s one of our football players. This helps propel him for that next face to learn how to run and jump better with his overall conditioning and things like that. It also helps him with his mental toughness.”
During the spring, Abdul-Aziz said he would watch film to try and make himself better.
“I’m learning from other people,” Abdul-Aziz said. “That’s been my other thing. I try to ask as many questions as possible and learn what I can to do better overall.”
Hodges talked about how Abdul-Aziz got better this season.
“Once he started figuring out that he can triple jump, he started caring about it and working on it,” Hodges said. “His technique started to improve. Our drills that we do really helped him get better each week. He got better, physically, each week. He also got tougher, mentally. His preparation also improved.
Hodges praised Abdul-Aziz’s mental toughness on Friday, especially considering it was the first area track and field meet he was jumping in.
“I was worried that he would be nervous but he wasn’t,” Hodges said. “He was calm and focused and believed in himself. That was a big part of it. He’s not going to worry about how well the other kids can jump. He’s just worried about himself.”
With football and track and field looming next year, Abdul-Aziz is eager to improve.
“I’m excited for the football season but I’m also excited for track and field next year,” he said. “I’ll be back and ready to go to regionals.”
