Brittney Reese aims for history in long jump finals
Published 6:01 am Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Brittney Reese didn’t waste any time Tuesday.
The three-time U.S. Olympian and former Ole Miss standout needed just one attempt to qualify for the women’s long jump finals at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Reese, the defending Olympic champion, jumped 6.78 meters and will try to become the first woman ever to win back-to-back gold medals in the event tonight at 7:15 CT.
The finals will be televised on NBC.
Reese’s personal best is 7.31, a mark she set to win the Olympic trials last month in Eugene, Oregon, and break Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s meet record. A native of Gulfport, Reese won the NCAA outdoor championships at Ole Miss in 2007 and 2008 and finished fifth in her first Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.