Amherst Regional track star Tchuijo Nkamebo shows his versatility
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Heading into Saturday's western Massachusetts championships, the Hurricanes' junior is a strong threat in the triple jump, the 200-meter dash as well as a member of the 4x100 relay squad.
Nkamebo earned three first-place finishes as the Hurricanes came in second at the western Massachusetts Division 1 championships last Saturday in Holyoke.
Nkamebo won the triple jump at 46 feet, 10 inches. That distance established a personal record and a new school mark, previously held by Tommie Lark (46-8½) in 2007. He then went on to take the 200-meter race in 22.86 seconds.
"He has in the last two weeks finally hit his stride," said coach Chris Gould. "It's always tough to gauge with the rain and the cold, and he doesn't perform as well in the bad weather. He hit a good one on his first jump Saturday and felt that he had it won. Then another competitor matched it, but Tchuijo jumped 46-10, his best ever. But I think he's got 47 in there."
Amherst's 68 points trailed only the host school, champion Holyoke (79).
The 'Canes 4x100 relay team finished in the top spot at 44.47. Nkamebo was joined by Folajimi Onadipe, Devin Clarke and Ariel Vallellanes.
"I did a pretty good job," Nkamebo said. "Being able to PR and set a school record in the triple was nice. And we were pretty excited about winning the 4x100. We're all pretty close friends and wanted to have fun and a good meet."
Nkamebo, who doesn't compete during the winter indoor track season because he plays on the Amherst basketball team, finds a benefit of playing both sports.
"I like basketball better because it's more entertaining," said Nkamebo. "Playing basketball helps me explode up and out for track, while running track definitely gets me in shape for basketball. I think I'm better in track, though."
Gifted athlete
Nkamebo is the two-time defending sectional champion in the triple jump. As a freshman, he jumped 43-1 for the title. He followed that up as a sophomore by jumping 44-10½ to repeat as western Mass. champion, then came in fourth (45-6½) at all-states.
But it was a disappointing experience at the all-state competition his freshman year that sharpened Nkamebo's focus. He finished 21st with a jump of 41-1.
"He had a rough state meet as a freshman in the triple," said Gould. "His steps didn't go quite right. It was a bit of a letdown, but ever since then he's turned into a student of the triple jump and it comes very naturally to him."
Nkamebo agrees.
"I don't know what it is, I've just been able to jump since middle school," he said. "Having that natural ability sure helps. I recently started working on my middle phase, which has improved my jumps. I can't really identify anything particular. I just tried it and saw that I'm pretty good at it."
"He's got a great vertical leap and a great leg and wing span," said Gould. "He's learned how to get strong, too. You take quite a beating, so he's learned how to deal with that."
A star in the triple jump from the outset of his high school career, Nkamebo has come along as a sprinter.
"I started sprinting in my freshman year as well," he said. "I like them both equally, and my favorite events are the 4x100 and the triple."
His 200 preliminary time of 22.49 last Saturday was a seasonal-best.
"I think this year he's come into his own in the 200," Gould said. "He's got a gear that he can hit that other runners can't match. He's got those afterburners and we take advantage of him in the relay. By the time he hands off, we've got about a five-meter lead."
Nkamebo can also run the 100, with a season-best time of 11.5 in a May 5 meet.
"I think he's ready, as we went out of our neighborhood for a lot of meets," Gould said. "Those allowed him to see other athletes throughout the state. That has calmed him down for the big meets when he's the guy to beat. He's comfortable in the routine and preparing and then blasting off as the time comes."
In one such meet, the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Invitational, he won the triple at 45-5 and came in fifth overall in the 200.
"Tchuijo's just got that tremendous stride and the power," said Gould. "His jumps make him a stronger runner, although he doesn't like to train real hard as a runner, but he's a great technique runner."
Both Nkamebo and Gould talked about how tough it's been this spring dealing with the rain and some cold temperatures.
"We usually just run indoors but when we have a chance to go outside we really work hard on stuff," said Nkamebo. He didn't expect to practice this week because of a slight injury. "I'm hoping it can heal before western Mass. I'll still try to perform even if it's bad, but I feel it should heal by then."
If fully healthy and able to compete at his best, the goals and expectations for sectionals are clear.
"He won't be satisfied unless he wins what he's defending," Gould said.
Nkamebo says he is looking forward to the challenge.
"As a team, we're just trying to get prepared and have a lot of poise going into sectionals. We did well at Division 1, and we have the team to finish high again this week."
Michael Wilkinson can be reached at mwilkinson@gazettenet.com.
