Jeffrey Henderson (born February 19, 1989) is an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete who competes in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

and 100-meter dash. He has a personal record of for the long jump by winning the 2015 Pan Am Games gold medal. At the long jump at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Henderson captured gold for Team USA, its first in the event since 2004. Henderson added a silver medal at the 2019 outdoor world championships. Other top results include becoming the 2014, 2016 and 2018 USA Outdoor national long jump champion.

Career

Henderson was raised in

McAlmont, Arkansas McAlmont, also referred to as "Mac Side", is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2010 census. The community adjoins eastern North Little Rock, and is part of the Little Rock& ...

. While attending

Sylvan Hills High School Sylvan Hills High School is an accredited comprehensive public high school located in the city of Sherwood, Arkansas, United States, serving grades nine through twelve. Sylvan Hills is one of four high schools administered by the Pulaski County ...

, he won the long jump at the 2007

Arkansas Activities Association The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) is the primary sanctioning body for high school sports in state of Arkansas. AAA is a member association of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA). Every public secondary sch ...

Class 6A state high school track and field championships with a jump, followed by a jump at the 2007 Arkansas Meet of Champions (MOC) high school meet. Since 2007, he maintains the state high school decathlon record in the 100-meter dash with his 10.84 seconds run. He previously held the Arkansas MOC record in the triple jump with a leap. He went on to study at

Hinds Community College Hinds Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Raymond, Mississippi and branches in Jackson and Vicksburg. The Hinds Community College District includes Hinds County, Claiborne County, part of Copiah County, Ran ...

Florida Memorial University Florida Memorial University is a private historically black university in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is a member of the United Negro College Fund and historically related to Baptists although it claims a focus on broader Christianity. History ...

and

Stillman College Stillman College is a private historically black Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 17 disciplines/majors housed within three academic schools (Arts and Sciences, Busi ...

where he competed for the Hinds CC Eagles, Florida Memorial Lions and Stillman Tigers track teams. At Hinds CC, Henderson became the NJCAA Division 1 2008 indoor national champion (long jump), 2008 outdoor national champion (long jump, 100 meters), and 2009 outdoor national champion (long jump and 4x100 meter relay team). After finishing second in the long jump at the

2010 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The 2010 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships was held at Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Organized by USA Track and Field (USATF), the two-day competition took place February 27–28 and served as the national champi ...

, Henderson competed at the

2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010. Bidding and organisation Th ...

, where he finished in 20th place with a jump. In his junior year at

, he earned

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors at the 2013 NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

and long jump titles. At the

2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 20–23 in conjunction with the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Champions ...

, Henderson won the silver medal in the long jump with a jump and represented the United States at the

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...

in Moscow, Russia. Henderson competed in the long jump at the

2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland. Prepar ...

. At the 2014 adidas Grand Prix, Henderson set a new meeting record in the men's long jump, leaping . Henderson set a stadium long jump and personal record of at the 2014

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Olym ...

at the Hornet Stadium in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, taking first place in the event. He also jumped , however it was wind-aided at +3.5 m/s. After winning the

Glasgow Grand Prix The London Diamond League, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Di ...

, Henderson is a 3-time 2014 IAAF Diamond League winner in the men's long jump. At the

2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Organized by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 25–28 and served as the national championships in ...

, Henderson jumped to earn a silver medal. At the

2015 Pan Am Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

on July 22, 2015, he won with a leap of . He had previously jumped , but the jump was not counted as it was wind-aided (+4.1 m/s). At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Men's long jump, he jumped in the prelim to advance to the final, and jumped in the final to place 8th. At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field), Henderson took first place in the long jump with w and took first place with a leap and edge past

Luvo Manyonga Luvo Manyonga (born 8 January 1991) is a South African track and field athlete who specialises in the long jump. He won the 2017 World Championship in London and the 2018 Commonwealth Games title in the Gold Coast, Australia. He was the Olymp ...

(8.37 m) of South Africa by 1 centimeter in the long jump at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He dedicated his victory to his mother, who has Alzheimer's disease. Henderson jumped to place 5th in the long jump at the

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–25 an ...

to qualify to the long jump event at the 2017 IAAF World Championships where he placed 17th jumping . Henderson jumped to place 1st in the long jump at the

2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 21–24 and serves as the national champ ...

to qualify to long jump at the

2018 IAAF Continental Cup The 2018 IAAF Continental Cup is an international track and field sporting event that was held in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on 8–9 September 2018. It is the third edition of the IAAF Continental Cup since the name and format was changed from th ...

and placed 3rd jumping this result helped the U.S. team to win the global challenge. At the 2018 IAAF Diamond League Final, he jumped to place 5th.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Jeff Living people 1989 births Sylvan Hills High School alumni American male long jumpers American male sprinters African-American male track and field athletes People from Sherwood, Arkansas Track and field athletes from Arkansas Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Stillman College alumni Olympic male long jumpers USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people