Article by John Manenti
If you ask an athlete of any discipline what are his main ambitions, you will get no other answer than the “Olympic Glory” with, subordinately, the world title and/or the world recordconsidering how these goals can only be achieved by getting the better of respectable opponents and without incurring serious injuries …
Hence, it takes on particular implications Story of the protagonist of our story today who, conversely, found himself having to deal with both of these circumstancesmanaging however, in an almost surprising way, to achieve both objectives.
And, by the way, what Kenny Harrison, born February 13, 1965 in Milwaukee, the most populous city in Wisconsin with over 500,000 inhabitantswas a predestined one, it can already be guessed from his years at the “Brookfield Central High School“, where in 1983 he obtained a measure of 15.96 m in the triple jump which still represents the Institute’s record, as well as the performances achieved at the “Kansas City University” lead him to hit a record of m.17.07 on the occasion of his affirmation at the 1986 NCAA Championships …
From the College to the highest international levels, the step is short and, after being included for the first time in 1989 in the “Top Ten” of the World Ranking at the end of the season compiled by the prestigious US magazine “Track & Field News“, finishing in fourth position, Harrison climbs to the top the following year, which sees him win the AAU title and, above all, establish the best seasonal world performance with the 17.93 m jumped at the beginning of July 1990 at the Stockholm Meetingjust four centimeters from the absolute record set by compatriot Willie Banks with m.17.97 in mid-June 1985 in Indianapolis.
No doubt, therefore, that Harrison can be indicated among the favorites in view of the World Cup scheduled in Tokyo in the last week of August 1991Exhibition to which he presents himself unbeaten in the season with a best measurement of 17.25 m obtained in Berlin after having confirmed the AAU title having the better (m.17,32 to 17,03) on the eternal rival Mike Conley …
The latter, however, did not prove to be in great condition in the qualifying rounds on the platforms of the Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital, gaining access to the Final only as the best of the rescued players, but it is known that “when it counts” the matter is totally different and, in fact, in the second round of jumps, Conley gets a jump of 17.62 m from the cylinder to which the Soviet Leonid Voloshin replies with 17.59 m before Harrison brings everyone to agreement who lands at 17.78 m …
With the podium already clearly outlined – the fourth classified, the other Soviet Vasiliy Sokov, in the lead after the first series with m.17.22 manages only to improve with m.17.28 – the Ranking varies with Voloshin who in his third test questions the primacy of the 26-year-old from Wisconsin with a jump of 17.75m while Conley reacts only with the last attempt at his disposal, but the m.17.61 achieved only guarantee him the bronze in a race that Harrison wins with a series (n -17.78 – 17.41 – 17.59 – n – 17.53) that guarantee his absolute stature international.
Logically confirmed at the top of the year-end ranking, Harrison is clearly expected as one of the big favorites ahead of the 1992 Barcelona Gamesbut good luck turns its back on him in the form of a knee cartilage injury that affects his activity and, having failed the chance at the Olympic Trials in New Orleans, he decides to undergo surgery in order to recover as soon as possible the best condition, while in the Catalan capital to establish itself is Conley with the extraordinary measure of m.18,17 except that the same cannot be approved for a gust of wind (.2,1m/s) higher to the allowed limit.
Returning to compete the following year, Harrison is preceded (m.17.60 to 17.27) by Conley at the AAU Championships in mid-June 1993 in Eugene, to then not go beyond the tenth place at the Stuttgart World Championship which sees Conley triumph again, imposing himself with m.17.86 and the places of honor to the benefit, with m.17.65 and 17.44, of Voloshin and the 26-year-old British Jonathan Edwards, destined to write the history of the specialty …
I am now convinced that the waning phase of his career has begun for the triple player from Milwaukee, even though in 1994 he reached the second position in the Ranking behind his friend/rival Conley, having defeated him (17.43m to 17.25m) at the “Goodwill Games” in St. Petersburgredeeming what happened (m.17.51 to 17.14) on the occasion of the AAU Championships in Knoxville.
Undoubtedly an injection of confidence in view of the key appointments scheduled for the next two years, consisting of the Gothenburg 1995 World Championship and the Olympics that the United States are called to organize from 19 July to 4 August 1996 in Atlantaexcept that bad luck still has a hand in it in the form of an injury that forces Harrison to miss the following season …
Now put yourself in the shoes of a Harrison who, in addition to having to take on the recovery time from a new injury, is faced with a new sensational rival in Edwards who, in Scandinavia, even allows himself to improve his own world limit on two occasions established in mid-July by adding an inch to Banks’ record, landing on debut at 18.16 m and then reaching 18.29 m in the second testso as to make the m.17.62 of the representative of Bermuda Brian Wellman pale, similar to what happened with Bob Beamon’s record of m.8.90 at the 1968 Mexico City Games.
Aware that the Games in the capital of Georgia is reasonably his last opportunity to seize the “Olympic glory“, Harrison spares no effort and sacrifices to regain a sufficient condition for such an appointment, in this comforted by the outcome of the Olympic Trials in mid-June which take place on the same platforms as the “Centennal Olympic Stadium” who will host the Five Circles Review, where he wins the AAU title with the measure of m.18.01 although favored by a favorable wind of 3.7m/s well above the permitted limit …
On the other side of the ocean, on the other hand, Edwards spares no effort, wanting to monetize the lucrative engagements that reach him in his role as world record holder and in just over a month (from 2 June to 12 July 1996) he imposes himself in European Cup in Madrid with m.17.79 as well as in the Meetings of Rome, Helsinki (with the best seasonal measurement of m.17.82), Oslo, Stockholm and Londonwith the latter race taking place just 14 days from the date of the qualifications in the Olympic Venue …
It may have been the excessive activity, but in this circumstance the Briton does not shine, managing to gain access to the Final only thanks to a modest 16.06 m as opposed to Harrison who takes the goal with m.17.58 obtained in the first test, the same result achieved by Conley with m.17.20 and by the 23-year-old Cuban Yoelby Quesada with m.17.19.
Final act that goes on stage at 19:00 local time on 27 July 1996 and Harrison places a serious threat on the Gold Medal already in the first round landing at 17.99m while Edwards runs into two nulls so as to have only one test at his disposal to be able to access the next three attempts, managing to maintain the necessary coolness with a “jump safely” of 17.13m which places him in third place in the provisional classification, between Quesada and Conley with 17.29m and 17.08m respectively …
Four for the podium, the race heats up during the fourth round in which the finalists compete in reverse ranking order and the first to light the fuses is Conley, with a jump of 17.40m which temporarily places him in second position, even if it is a short-lived joy as Edwards proves that he is not the world record holder by chance by landing at 17.88 m which send a shiver down the backs of the spectators present, for later it was up to Quesada to obtain the measurement of 17.44 m which relegates Conley to the outside of the medal round…
Perhaps stimulated by the performance of his opponents, that’s it Harrison “definitively closes the accounts” with a very long jump that is measured in m.18.09 for an Olympic record that still standsmoreover with a headwind of -0.4m/s which represents the best measurement of each epoch recorded in such a condition, while the 18.09 meters still represent the fourth best today “All-time performance“, while it was the second at the time.
Honestly, it is not clear why at the end of the season the Ranking awards Edwards compared to the triple player of Wisconsin, but we believe that, in all honesty, he didn’t care much, having achieved the much coveted “Olympic glory“, obtained having “dribbled” opponents of the highest level and the obstacles that fate had interposed, confirming the old adage about how decisive it is to get “find the right place at the right time…” …
And this too, if you will, is a skill that is anything but indifferent …