The 2024 USATF Indoor Championship in Albuquerque saw the return of an Olympian in top form in the men’s high jump. The 27-year-old had been working hard for a big break since his Tokyo Olympics appearance, and now he has finally won the national indoor championship.

Shelby McEwen carried out a stellar campaign on 16 February to secure a coming-from-behind victory over Vernon Turner. The Olympian bested Vernon’s 2.25m jump in the final showdown with a 2.28m response to clinch USATF Indoor Championship gold.

The Nike athlete had secured the gold at the 2024 Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge in January with a 2.28m jump. With that, he had also cracked the world lead at the time. Now, McEwen has replicated the same to defend his 2023 USATF Indoor Championship gold.

Interestingly, McEwen’s first 2.28m high jump earned him his second consecutive Dr. Sander Invitational victory. Armory Track had invited the USATF Indoor Championship winner for a brief interview and asked him about his thoughts on the win. McEwen said, “Man, first giving honor to God, who’s the head of my life, I mean, just been building man, been working hard, been training in the off-season, been getting a lot stronger, a lot fit.”

He also noted, “Had a few new changes in Houston, Texas with a new coach, and so man, I’m just trusting the process and just keep working. Got a long season ahead, so one meet at a time, so just glad to be out, come out and just compete hard, love the crowd energy, love to come with the guys, and get the job done.” 

The USATF Indoor Championship winner couldn’t deliver his desired output at the Tokyo Olympics where he finished 12th. However, he didn’t allow himself to waver and has kept going to return with an improved version of himself. Interestingly, McEwen noted that he is also taking care of a lot of small, but important, variables which have enhanced his performance.

USATF Indoor Championship gold medalist making everything count

Speaking further with Armory Track, the 27-year-old said, “I was working hard day in and day out, just going to get extra work in, away from the track on my own, and just doing the small things that count, you know, otherwise just taking care of myself, taking care of my body, eating healthy, and there’s a lot that comes with it, you know, to be the best athlete.” The USATF Indoor Championship victor also noted that he has been following a very disciplined approach.

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McEwen continued, “Discipline is key. So I’ve been very, very disciplined when it comes, you know, moving forward to this season, so, like I said, just trusting the process to keep building and I’m looking forward to a great year ahead.” Now that the Nike athlete has the USATF Indoor Championship in the bag, he’ll look forward to conserving his momentum. Will Shelby McEwen be able to recreate a gold medal win at the Paris Olympics as well?

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