A stellar first year with Academy of Art track & field concluded in impressive fashion as Mathieu Tshani was crowned National Champion in the triple jump at the 2022 NCAA Division II National Outdoor Championships on
May 28.
After opening in third after his first jump, Tshani remained two spots back of teammate Yacouba Gnacko in fifth at the start of the final three attempts, but saved some of his best jumps for last. On his fifth try, he elevated to second place with a 51-1 (15.57m) mark though found himself third with one jump left. Tshani's final trip down the runway would end up dominating the competition as he rebroke his own ART U record with an eye-popping 53-1.5 (16.19m) distance that carried a +3.3 m/s wind. He out-performed Pitt State's Henry Kiner, who went 52-0 (15.85m) on his last attempt, placing first overall for Tshani's first career national title.
"I would say that this meet summarizes my year here perfectly," Tshani said. "I didn't start the way I expected and I faced obstacles through the rounds. But by remaining calm, and believing in the hard work Coach Nkosinza Balumbu and I put in throughout the year, I managed to find the best version of myself in this last jump. I am happy that I could contribute to the team by scoring and I hope that we will come back even stronger next year."
"Mathieu winning the triple jump on his final attempt (breaking the school record), may have surprised people sitting in the stands, but when you watch him on a daily basis and see how hard he works, nothing he does surprises me," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country LaSure. "Coach Balumbu has done a great job with the jumpers and Mathieu got exactly what he earned and deserved this weekend. National Championships don't win themselves; they are won through what the student-athlete does on a daily basis, and Mathieu is definitely a guy who shows up to work day in and day out."
