MGCCC alum Reese jumps to another world title

Brittney Reese saved her best jump for last, and it was more than good enough for yet another world title.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast graduate jumped 7.22 meters/23 feet, 8.25 inches on her sixth attempt in Portland to win her third world indoor championship. It adds to an already overflowing trophy case, which includes an Olympic golf medal and three world outdoor championships.

"I felt real good today," Reese said. "I had a rough few years after having surgery, and I just had to step back and see why I really loved the sport. Today just proved that I'm still here, and it's a great feeling.

"The competition was great; anytime you have women jumping 6.90 or 7 meters it will always be a great competition and it sets us up good for Rio."

Reese played basketball for two years at Perk. She's been the dominant women's long jumper for the better part of the last decade, now coming off a hip injury that required surgery.

She trailed Serbia's Ivana Spanovic by 3 centimeters after the first round, and briefly took the lead in the fifth round. Reese jumped 7.00 meters to match the best mark, and would have won a tiebreaker with a better second-best leap.

But Spanovic immediately jumped 7.07 meters to retake the lead, setting up a dramatic final round. Reese exploded off the board with a shout, landing far enough out for another gold medal.

She seemed to revel in the pressure of the do-or-die leap.

"It seems like it, huh?" Reese said. "I think I am. The goal obviously was to get a decent jump, and on the first one I did that, but I was struggling trying to get my rhythm and be smooth off the board. The crowd helped a lot today, and on the last jump helped me out a whole lot."

Reese was inducted into the MGCCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.