Sophia Curtis of Ocean City took down a record held by one of the greatest track and field athletes in NJ history when she exploded for a monster personal best of 41-3.25 to finish third in the triple jump to earn All-America honors at the New Balance National Championships on Saturday in Boston.
The 41-3.25 by Curtis places her No. 2 all-time in NJ history and it broke the NJ Junior Class record of 41-0.25 set by the legendary Keturah Orji of Mount Olive when she won the New Balance National Championship in 2013 at the NY Armory. Orji, the current U.S. outdoor record holder in the TJ and a 2-time Olympian, holds the state indoor record of 44-2, which she achieved when she won the New Balance National title in 2014.
Curtis, who came in to the meet with a PR of 38-8, which she hit when she finished second at the Meet of Champions last Sunday at Ocean Breeze, surpassed her personal best five times on Saturday!!!
She opened with a 38-3.25, went 39-5 ¾ on her second attempt, and then Curtis soared 40-2 on her last attempt in the trials. In the finals, she went 39-11 ¼ and 40-9 before bounding all the way out to 41-3.25 on her final jump!!!