Flying High

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Shalom Olotu might be a Kansas State track and field name that fans and alums talk about years from now. Today, the senior is in Eugene, Oregon, biding her time before she competes for not one, but two national championships, in the long jump and triple jump.

She punched her tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a three-day span about two weeks ago in the NCAA West Preliminary at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas. It's a few days that catapulted the native of Allen, Texas, to new heights.

She is still flying high.

"The feeling is unreal," Olotu said. "It honestly felt like a dream, and it's a sense of relief. I've been working at this for years, and now I've made it not in one event but two. I have so much gratitude for God because I've been praying for this goal. Even now, I cannot believe it happened.

"It's a huge accomplishment."

She achieved her remarkable feats under the guidance of first-year K-State jumping coach Clive Pullen, who competed for Jamaica in the 2016 Olympics, and who over his career has assisted with six NCAA Championships and 15 First Team All-Americans.

"Clive saw my potential and continued to have faith in me," Olotu said. "I'm seeing the results now of the potential that he saw."

On May 29, Olotu qualified for the national championships in the long jump with a personal-best of 6.44 meters (21 feet, 1 ½ inches) — her best jump in two years — to finish ninth in the NCAA West Preliminary. It also was the fourth longest jump in an outdoor meet in school history.

Ever since the eighth grade, the long jump was her favorite event.

"It's very dear to my heart," she said. "It's been a long journey."

Prior to her third and final attempt in the preliminary, she gained some last-minute encouragement from Pullen.

"Coach Clive said, 'On this last one, you gotta run. You gotta run,'" Olotu said. "I trusted God and my coach. As soon as I took off from the board, I fought as hard as I could in the air and got the 6.4, which was a long time coming."

Three days later, Olotu performed the unimaginable in qualifying for the national championships in the triple jump — an event that was relatively new to her heading into this year. Her leap of 13.45 meters (44 feet, 1 ½ inches) was a personal best, ranked fifth best in K-State history, and ranked 11^th in the preliminary to earn her one of 12 qualifying spots for Eugene, Oregon.

"I had a good start with the long jump, so it built momentum," she said. "But I knew the job wasn't finished. I wanted to make it to nationals in both events. On my last triple jump attempt, on my last jump, I ran to Coach Clive and said, 'Is it good? Is it good?' When I saw that I hit 13.4, it was crazy."

The happy tears and celebration were on.

"Honestly, I knew it was possible, but when it came to reality at the meet, there's a lot of pressure," she said. "All year, Coach Clive said I had the potential to make it in both events. It's just so crazy. I didn't think it was possible, but in the moment, I was determined, and I trusted the work I put in and left it all out there.

"I'm a competitor and was determined not to fall short again. I've had several years where I fell short at the regional meet. I was determined not to let it slip through my fingers my final year."

She paused.

"The job isn't finished."

It's been quite a journey for Olotu, who began her career at Oral Roberts before transferring to K-State prior to the 2022-23 season. While legendary K-State head coach Cliff Rovelto retired prior to this season, Olotu's mission remained during a "smooth transition."

"I really wanted to go to a school where I knew my abilities would be taken care of," she said. "Choosing K-State, there are so many accomplishments by great athletes. Coach Clive came in with amazing energy, and he's so enthusiastic and always smiling. I was already comfortable when I met him. He's poured a lot into me in my technique, footwork and strength.

"In the weight room, he puts on weights and continues to put on weights, and I'm like, 'This is some scary weight.' But I'm able to do it. This is completely different than what I've ever done before. It's great."

As for Olotu's biggest challenge heading into her senior year?

"The biggest challenge was knowing this was my last outdoor season and knowing I had goals I really wanted to accomplish but not being able to see into the future and know if I'm able to do it," she said. "I just didn't know what was going to happen."

And then it happened.

Thousands of athletes work their entire lives and dream for one chance to compete in Eugene for a national championship.

This week, Olotu will compete for a national championship two times in three days.

She'll compete in the long jump on Thursday and triple jump on Saturday.

"The job isn't done," she said. "I still have goals. I know I can do well. Right now, I'm just focused on everything I've worked on this past week and past year. I just continue to focus that the job isn't done.

"There's still a fight that needs to be fought this week at nationals."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Shalom Olotu

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