If you regularly hang out on the Tuks athletics track, especially near the sand pit, you will likely meet ‘Mr. Bouncy’ or at least hear him get excited after he has been airborne.

‘Mr. Bouncy’, as he is known by friends and fellow athletes, is not just any athlete. Peace Adedokun has been South Africa’s triple jump champion for the past two years. He is also the South African student champion and during the South African u.23 championships, he won the silver medal.

In July, he will represent South Africa at the World Student Games in Germany.

“Mr Bouncy” is a nickname the Information Science student got due to his explosive jumping power. Over the last two years, he has improved his personal best distance from 14.98 metres to 16.20 metres, an improvement of 1.22 metres.

Adedokun’s coach at Tuks, Neil Cornelius, confidently predicts that he can jump even further.

“His last phase, jumping into the sand pit, still needs much work. Peace hops and steps of 11 meters is ridiculous. If we work hard on his left leg and that last phase, he can definitely jump 17 meters. I have big plans if he keeps training like he is,” Cornelius explained.

According to Adedokun, for him to be better, he must also work to become stronger and faster.

“Triple jump is an event where you can’t afford to lose speed and momentum. One of the big challenges is handling your speed through each of the phases,” he commented during an interview after die USSA championships.

Adedokun said he only started doing triple jump in Grade 10, which was only because one of the school’s coaches told him to.

For the coach, it was all about ensuring the team got more points at competitions. As there was no one really who could coach him in triple jump Adedokun resorted to doing internet searches to understand to what it takes to jump further.

“I also made a point of watching what other athletes did when they competed. I quickly realised that I am quite good at it. I enjoy the challenges that come with triple jumping. In my opinion, it is the hardest event in track and field. It is genuinely demanding on the body. One mistake on a hop or step could result in your whole jump going sideways,” he concluded.

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