Roulhac qualifies for Worlds

Marianna’s Brandon Roulhac added another achievement to what has been a career year. The track and field star took the triple-jump title in the USA Track and Field Championships June 25 in Eugene, Ore.

With the win, Roulhac qualified for the World Championships in Berlin, Germany on Aug. 15.

A 25-year-old Marianna High School graduate, Roulhac also won the USA Track and Field Indoor title in the triple-jump on March 1.

His best jump of 57 feet, 2 inches was a stadium record, although it won’t be counted officially due to wind aid.

The mark was nearly two feet better than the second-place finisher in Eugene.

It was also nearly two feet better than his winning mark of 55 feet, 7 inches at the indoor championships.

“I went over there hoping to win. That was the goal and I did it,” Roulhac said. “To (improve by) two feet in a year is a big improvement.”

Roulhac, who finished fifth in the outdoor championships in each of the last two years, won it this year in dominating fashion, marking the five best jumps of the
entire competition.

He said the improvement did not happen by accident.

“There was a lot of technical stuff that I’ve been working on and I’ve been able to get it together better,” Roulhac said. “There was a lot of practicing to get it right.”

Roulhac was just three inches away from qualifying for the Olympics in Beijing, China last summer, finishing fifth in the Olympic Trials.

It was a tough outcome, although Roulhac said he wasn’t disappointed in his performance at the trials.

“That was an emotional day, but I was pleased with the results,” he said. “I knew I had jumped well and I knew I would work hard this year and end up on top, and that’s what happened.”

Roulhac will have to wait three more years to make another run at the 2012 Olympics in London.

“Every track and field athlete’s main goal is to make the Olympic team,” he said. “We have important meets in between, but on that fourth year, that’s what everybody is working for.

“I’m still happy with how I performed (last year), and in 2012 I should make the team without a doubt.”

However, medaling at the World Championships is certainly no small feat, and Roulhac said he believed he would do well in Berlin.

“I’m very confident,” he said. “I know there are about five other guys jumping really well in Cuba and Great Britain, so it’s going to be great competition. If I can
get a little better with my technique, maybe I can win it.”

The best jump in the world this year has been 57 feet, 10 inches. Roulhac is only the fifth man in the world to clear 57 feet in 2009.

Even without the wind-aided jump, Roulhac’s second-best mark of 56 feet, 7 inches would put him in the top seven jumpers in the world.

“I just have to keep working on my approach and technique,” Roulhac said. “I’ve got a couple of meets in between to fine tune it.”

Roulhac, who is based in Tallahassee, will compete in Paris on July 17, and in London on July 24.

In preparation for a meet, Roulhac trains five days per week, with workout sessions including long and short sprints, weight training and technique work.

With six weeks to prepare for Berlin, Roulhac said he knew he would have to continue to improve to have a shot at the gold medal.

“I just want to win it, but I know that I’ll have to jump at least in the high 57 feet range or 58 feet to win,” he said. “I know that I have to jump what I did (in Eugene) or better.”

After the World Championships, Roulhac said he planned on finishing the season with three more meets, then begin preparation for next season.

He believed if he continued to improve at his current pace, he could legitimately challenge the American triple-jump record of 59 feet, 3 inches held by Kenny
Harrison.

However, Roulhac said records weren’t nearly as important to him as winning.

“Track is a sport that if you do one thing, that will take care of the rest. If you set a record, you’ll win all the big championships and that’s what I really care about,” he said. “(Setting a record) is not something I’m trying to do. I’m just taking it one season at a time and trying to get better.”