51-8 is a pretty long way.
That's further than a school bus, which is about 45 feet.
In other words, Fountain-Fort Carson's Jequan Hogan can (triple) jump the length of a school bus, and have a nearly seven feet to spare.
A year ago Alan Versaw highlighted Hogan's 50-foot triple jump in his Top Stories of 2017, and he capped that article with the line: "We're left to wonder what 2018 will hold."
As we know now, Hogan had a few more feet in his back pocket.
What makes Hogan's 51-8 all the more impressive is that it wasn't only the best in Colorado, but it was No. 1 in the country by four inches during the 2018 outdoor season.
After opening his outdoor season with a 50-8.5, the state was watering at the mouth of what we'd see before the end of 2018, and Hogan delivered.
He went on to win eight of nine in the event, and the irony is that despite his triple jump dominance, his one blip came at State, where he finished second.
He did compete in four events at State, however, winning the high jump in 6-8, finished third in the long jump in 22-7, and seventh in the 110 hurdles in 15.01.
And while he did not win a state title in the triple jump, he did win the event at New Balance Nationals Indoor.
Nationals > State.
Hogan went over 48-1 every time he competed last spring, and went 51-6 three out of three times between June 30 and July 21.
To compare, the No.2 triple jumper in the country last year never went beyond 51-4 - Hogan did it three times. His nearly flawless season, and more importantly his stellar post-season, launched himself off the runaway and to the No. 6 Story of 2018.
More on Jequan Hogan:
Hogan, Minor Claim Gold On Day 3 Of New Balance Nationals
