JJ Jegede
 JJ Jegede in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Great Britain |
| Born | 3 October 1985 Newham, United Kingdom |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 12 st 4 lb (78 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Long jump |
| Club | Newham & Essex Beagles |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | Long jump 8.11 m (London 2012) |
JJ Jegede (born 3 October 1985) is a British track and field athlete who specialises in the long jump. He finished fourth in the long jump at the 2012 European Athletics Championships, just seven centimetres off a medal.
He works as a personal trainer and as mentor for young people.[1]
He was not selected for the British team for the 2012 Olympics, as he did not have the "A" standard of 8.20m.[2] He competed at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and European Championships in Zurich, making the final in both.
Early life
Jegede grew up in Hackney as the youngest of four children.[3] He had a rough upbringing, going through a number of evictions when his mother was not able to pay rent.[4] He attended Barking Abbey School.[5] He wanted to become a professional footballer and was offered trials at Norwich and Tottenham Hotspur, but at the beginning of secondary school he was diagnosed with Osgood–Schlatter disease, which stopped him from playing.[5]
Promotional work
In 2011, Jegede jumped over three Mini Coopers as part of an advertising campaign for the Mini London 2012 edition models.[6] He is involved in the Metropolitan Police's Met Track scheme,[7] as well as Sky's Living For Sport campaign.[8] As part of this, he has done numerous school visits.[9][10][11]
Statistics
Personal bests
| Event | Mark | Competition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 m | 6.97i | Birmingham Games | Birmingham, Great Britain | 2 February 2008 |
| 10 0m | 10.89 | London Inter Club Challenge | Hendon, Great Britain | 26 July 2008 |
| 200 m | 22.42 | Loughborough International | Loughborough, Great Britain | 18 May 2008 |
| Long jump | 8.11 | London Grand Prix | Crystal Palace, Great Britain | 13 July 2012 |
References
- ^ "JJ Jegede - Sky Sports Living for Sport". livingforsport.skysports.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Nash, Matthew (28 July 2012). "JJ Jegede: I was tempted to ditch Great Britain after Olympic snub". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ^ "JJ Jegede - GB Athlete & London Personal Trainer". www.jjjegede.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Hart, Simon (28 June 2012). "JJ Jegede Telegraph Interview". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Flown From the Nest - JJ Jegede". www.ex-canaries.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "Olympic Long Jump Hopeful Jumps Over Three Minis In London". The Huffington Post. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "JJ Jegede". Met-Track. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "JJ Jegede". Sky Sports - Living for Sport. Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Sessions, George. "GB athlete visits local school". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ "JJ Jegede | Joseph Swan Academy". www.josephswan.org.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
- ^ Caron. "JJ Jegede 'People are Awesome!'". www.gbhs.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
