One member of Alabama’s highly touted 2008 recruiting class showed a rare feat of athleticism at the 2008 Alabama High School Track and Field Championship. St. Paul Episcopal School’s Mark Barron won the 5A State Championship in 4 events - the long jump, the triple jump, the shot put & the discus.

Just winning 4 events is itself a great accomplishment. What makes this noteworthy, however, is how different the skill sets are between the two pairs of championship.

It is not uncommon to see the same person win the long jump and the triple jump. It also not uncommon to see the same person win both the discus and the shot put. But for 1 person to win all 4?

The long jump and triple jump are events that rely on quickness and agility, along with speed, body control, and explosiveness. The discus and shot put also require explosiveness and body control, but in completely different ways. They are two events that require a tremendous amount of strength, something not often found on a “jumper”.

Other Bama signees that had good finishes in the meet:

Burton Scott was 2nd to Barron in the 5A long jump.

Julio Jones finished 2nd in the 6A long jump