Junior Javion Oliver has been running track since 8th grade, and this year is his fourth. On Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, Oliver broke the previous long jump record, reaching an impressive 22′ 10″ or 6.96m, and also qualified for the Illinois Top Times Championships on March 28th, 2026, where he placed 3rd with a distance of 22′ 5″ or 6.83m
“I wanted to break the school record for a little minute” Oliver said,
“I wanted to break the school record since I got in high school. When I finally got the opportunity, it made me happy. But knowing that I could’ve had the school record at a higher jump radius. I still got a ways to go.”
Reaching that record didn’t go unnoticed, especially not by his Coach, Mykel Gary, who helped Oliver get to where he is… By standing back
“Honestly, it’s just keeping him composed, and keeping him what we call balanced.” Coach Mykel Gary said,
“We don’t want him to be too anxious or too excited, when he’s preparing for meets, especially because of the types of events he does. You have to really have a consistent rhythm. And when he’s doing his jumping and kind of keeping his feet and his placements all the same. So the main this is just keeping him sharp and keeping him balanced and keeping his body and his mind in kind of the same place. Outside of that, he kind of does a lot of things on his own. He’s got a lot of ability on his own. So my job is just to guide him and give him the right tools.
Oliver is not only a well-rounded athlete but a well-rounded character.
“Javion, he could be a bit of a class clown, he’s a funny kid.” Coach Jeff Hansen said,
“But when he dials in, and you see him in his elements, he can compete at a high level.” Hansen said.
“Javion is the life of the party.” Gary said
“He is an extremely athletic, extremely charismatic, very energetic young man. He’s been with me for 3 years. He does anything and everything on the track. He’s all around, can do just about whatever. Like I said, he’s a character, he brings a lot of life, a lot of laughs, a lot of energy to the group. But he also kind of brings that higher intensity when big competitions or big things are coming. So, he’s someone that never had a problem dealing with pressure. And anytime he has to have big moments, he always rises to the occasion.” Gary said.
CCHS was proud to see Oliver succeed and to continue doing so. Sources believe he’s on track to do great things.
Again, congratulations to Javion Oliver for beating the CCHS long jump record.
