JJ Jegede in 2013 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | ![]() |
Born | Newham, United Kingdom | 3 October 1985
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.
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]
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]
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 |