Mansfield Today Spring 2023 April 2023 | Page 23

LAKE RIDGE ALUM BREAKS U . S . WOMEN ’ S TRACK RECORD

She ’ s been called a champion – a phenom , and at the tender age of 21 , Jasmine Moore is living up to all of the accolades .

In March , she broke a national record by jumping farther than any American woman has ever jumped before . On the final day of the NCAA Indoor Championships in
Made in Mansfield
Independent School District
Albuquerque , N . M ., Jasmine broke the U . S . women ’ s record in the triple jump with a mark of 15.2 meters .
“ The triple jump was super exciting . I think I shocked everybody . I shocked myself ,” Jasmine said . “ I kept my faith all season , and 15 meters has been such a goal for me . It was very motivating to see all my hard work paid off .”
Jasmine ’ s mom , Trinette , said their family jokes that they knew Jasmine would be a track star back when she attended Anna May Daulton Elementary School .
“ Field day was always a big thing for us because my husband and I ran track in college , and at field day they would have these running events , and Jasmine always finished first ,” Moore said .
Moore said her daughter ’ s introduction to jumping was kind of a fluke . Jasmine ’ s middle school team needed some extra points , and one of the coaches suggested she do the events . A classmate from the boys ’ team showed her how to do the triple jump .
ALUMNI
Jasmine Moore broke the national record by jumping farther than any American woman has ever jumped before , jumping 15.2 meters in the triple jump .
“ I had never had an athlete more focused on her own goals and equally focused on the team goals ,” Jones said . “ She is very structured in everything she does . I was very impressed with the fact that , even as a teenager , she was very on top of her own training .”
Jasmine credits her years in Mansfield ISD for preparing her for her college career at the University of Florida – both academically and athletically .
“ It ’ s a great school district . I had support in the classroom from all my teachers – just to know I had people that cared about me and helped me grow as a student and a person ,” Jasmine said .
Jasmine said she and her high school coach are still very much in touch .
“ She ’ s been a major influence on me , and I can go to her to talk whenever I need help ,” Jasmine said .
At just 18 years old , Jasmine became the youngest American woman to qualify for and compete in the triple jump at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics . During her collegiate career , Jasmine won a bronze medal at the Pan American U20 Championships , two NCAA Championships and five NCAA Indoor Championships .
By her junior year at Lake Ridge High school , Jasmine ’ s track career was taking off . In 2018 , the Lake Ridge track and field team – packed with Division I athletes – won the state championship . In 2019 , Jasmine was selected as Gatorade ’ s Athlete of the Year for Girls Track and Field .
Lake Ridge Head Girls Track and Field Coach Lauren Jones had worked with state champions and even Olympians before , but she said Jasmine stood out even among the high achievers .
That might be enough for some , but as she prepares to graduate from college , Jasmine intends to keep pushing . Her parents have always emphasized that academics come first , and she ’ s planning to apply for graduate school to pursue an advanced business degree while training for upcoming events .
Jasmine ’ s biggest fans – her mom and dad – were disappointed not to be able to attend the 2020 Olympic games due to COVID restrictions . They say they are already saving money for the trip to Paris in 2024 .
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