by Stuart WeirThis is part 3 on Sha’Keela Saunders, by Stuart Weir. Sha’Keela is a U.S. top long jumper, having won USA Champs and competed in Doha WC and London WC.
Sha’Keela had an amazingly viral video recently on jumpers. Check it out here: https://www.runblogrun.com/2020/07/shakeela-saunders.html
Sha’Keela Saunders, photo by Team USA
Sha’Keela Saunders Part 3
Sha’Keela Saunders, photo by wikipedia.org
1. Your PR is 6.90 – is seven meters a big target?
Sha’Keela Saunders: I want 7m so bad! It hasn’t got annoying yet but I get really excited when I get close. When I get consistent at 6.90, then I’m sure it’ll get annoying!
2. Making any US team is hard but in the long jump it seems especially hard. What are your thoughts?
Sha’Keela Saunders: For sure, USAs is the second most difficult competition of the year. And that is kind of frustrating as we look at other countries where it’s not as stacked. But we have to peak twice and approach USAs as if it is the Worlds or Olympics. Then a month later we have to do it again at the Worlds or Olympics. So, we have to peak twice very close together. That is really hard to do and it takes great coaches to pull it off. But that’s what we find ourselves in.
[Example: In the 2016 US Olympic trials Shak jumped 6.89 but was 5th with Brittany Reese jumping 7.31 and Tianna Bartoltetta also over 7 meters. Ironically 6.89 would have got fifth place in Rio!]
3. What are your memories of the London 2017 World Championships?
Sha’Keela Saunders: For London 2017 I somehow just expected everything to fall into place, which was pretty silly of me because in college it doesn’t work that way. The day of the long jump prelim was very cold and rainy. And I really let it affect me and I let nerves take over. It all fell apart. I only jumped 6.32 [6.46 qualified]. Immediately after worlds, I went to the Diamond League Final, finished third in 6.58 I couldn’t help thinking if I could only have jumped 6.58 at worlds, I would’ve been in the final. It wasn’t that hard to get in the final but I let my nerves get the better of me.
4. What about Doha 2019?
Sha’Keela Saunders: I was proud of myself in Doha because I was having ankle problems and every jump was very painful. So what I did in the final was impressive to me. The USA Medical team was great that whole trip. They worked on me about three times a day – just trying to manage the pain to get me through the days. 6.50 was impressive because all year I struggled to jump 6.30 because of the ankle pain. And while Doha wasn’t the result that I wanted, I felt that I was blessed because I didn’t make the ankle worse. I was able to get through it, placing higher than I ever did before.
Growing up there was a negative stigma behind women in sports. Young girls are being bullied with words that should be empowering them. “Like a Girl” should not be an insult. Women in sports should show off their skills and embrace their gender! What do you do like a girl? #iJump pic.twitter.com/R3HVbLdmZd
— Sha’Keela Saunders (@keela_saunders) May 15, 2020
5. At Fort Worth Texas. AP Ranch High Performance Invitational July 2020 you jumped 6.52
Sha’Keela Saunders: 20 July and that was my first competition of the year. I am very happy with it. I’ve only done full approach jumps in practice one day and that was Friday last week. Here I was using the fourteens step short approach, so I was very pleased with a 6.50 off the short approach. I’m very happy with how this has started and my ankle was feeling good. I think I have a big jump in me.
6. What was your experience of Lockdown?
Sha’Keela Saunders: Initially we were kicked off the track at University of Texas. Then they cancelled the NCAA. Coach told me to go home as we didn’t know what was going to happen. So, I went and spent two months with my family. Luckily my old high school opened up a gym for me so I was able to lift and also get some work in at my high school track. But it was not the same as being with my coach.
Then after nearly two months my coach called me and said: “are you ever coming back?” I had been following the weekly updates that USTAF were sending out and the Covid updates. But they were basically saying we’re still deciding what meets are going to take place and how we’re going to accommodate you all. And I was having this pit in my stomach every week fearing that suddenly meets were going to appear and Covid would go away and I would not be prepared.
So I went back to my coach on 1 May and he kicked my butt so bad. But now I feel I’m ready and each week I’m anxiously looking at the list to see what meets to prepare for. I am with my coach, and I’m doing everything he says so I’m ready. Whereas when I was at home and not sure of my fitness, I was dreading getting the updates. The next thing I have scheduled is Budapest on 19 August.
7. What are you like as a person?
Sha’Keela Saunders: I’m a very goofy person and I’m joking a lot. I laugh in every situation – even uncomfortable situations. I’m a positive spirit. Away from track, I like to paint. I started last year and I’ve really got into it. I’ve done a couple of paintings for people here. I like doing philanthropy. I give to the homeless. We have got a food bank in Austin and I was able to contribute to that. I do “helping hands” where we go to a hospital for depressed children and go and talk to them and play games with them. We tried to reassure them and bring a purpose to their life. I love my family. I talk to my family probably on average 2 hours a day – they are a big part of my life.
8. Do you have any personal faith?
Sha’Keela Saunders: I grew up in a Christian household. In college I found God for myself and was baptized in college. My venture has been up and down. I keep a prayer journal and that helps a lot. It keeps me in regular communication with God. And when you’re in more regular communication with God, you hold yourself more accountable for things that you do throughout the day.
