Jhamal Bowen competing in Ostrava (© Getty Images)
In Central and South American countries, the athletics history is always written around the names of its strongest figures, and there is no doubt that for Panama, the surge of 2007 World Long Jump champion Irving Saladino has meant a lot. So now, the so called “Canguro de Colón” (Kangaroo of Colón) has begun to leave his mark by inspiring those who have seen him as a role model.
That is just the case of the also long jumper Jhamal Bowen (8 January 1991), born in the same city of Saladino – Colón – and with a story that has lots of parallels with the one of the 2007 World champion.
Similar genesis
Just like Saladino, Bowen was discovered by Coach Florencio Aguilar, a former sprinter himself. “His beginnings were not easy. He loved football – Irving loved baseball – and he wouldn’t leave it to focus in athletics... I believe he decided to stick to it once Saladino started to become more prominent. He has surely been a great inspiration for Jhamal,” says Aguilar.
“His mother was also a great ally for me in the task of getting him on the track. She is always pushing him to train hard, and she has been a tremendous support. I believe that between her, my persistence, and the advice of Irving, we have placed him on the right track,” comments Aguilar.
“There is no question that Irving is a great force that drives Jhamal. The relationship between them is awesome. They are like brothers… and Jhamal just dreams with being as big as Saladino is now, so the path is right there, only to be followed.”
“Technically speaking, Jhamal’s strongest points are his speed and strength, both of them natural attributes. If I make a comparison, I would say that Jhamal is faster and stronger than Irving, if I compare both of them at the same age. Then, as a person, Jhamal is very extroverted, but also extremely disciplined.”
2008 eruption
Bowen ended 2007 with personal bests of 7.34m (wind 1.7) and 7.54 (no wind measurement). The 7.34 mark was obtained in the qualification at the 2007 IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, where he finished in ninth place with a 7.05 performance.
But this 2008 season witnessed an explosion of talent that would even make Saladino very proud.
With a magic span of 8 days, the 17 year-old from Panama jumped 7.84/1.2 in Panama City on 3 May to capture the National title and the National junior record. Then, a trip to the neighbour Venezuela saw a 7.89/0.8 mark in Caracas on 9 May, and 2 days later a further improvement to 7.97/1.4 in Barquisimeto, to tie the South American record of former 2001 World Youth Champion Thiago Dias, from Brazil.
“The main reason that backs such an extraordinary improvement is the support received by the IAAF through its development programmes. Irving paved the way for the rest and by sharing time and experiences with him and Nélio Moura, and I was able to acquire concepts I didn’t have before. Also, we are now much better equipped in terms of gear and assistance in general, which also makes a great difference from the times where Irving was surging”, explains Aguilar. “Still, it is pretty hard to understand that Jhamal could be already so close to 8m at the age of 17”.
“Jhamal is a very talented kid with an enormous potential. Little by little we are adding more elements to his training programme, while there are also several technical details that we need to keep working on. The preparation for Bydgoszcz was been very satisfactory, and except for small problems in his ankle, everything has gone according to our plan. Now we hope to come home with a medal.”
“For the rest, time will tell. We know we have a World Champion and perhaps the best Long jumper of his generation in Irving, but for Jhamal, only time will tell”, ends Aguilar.
Jhamal Bowen
Colón, Panamá, 8 January 1991. 1.74m, 60Kg. Coach: Florencio Aguilar.
At LJ: National Champion 2008.
Progression: 2006: 7.16, 2007 7.34/7.54nwi, 2008: 7.97
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
