‘I Just Want To Do The 2 Meters’: Adeshina Eyes Historic Leap After Big 12 Triumph
Temitope Adeshina, Nigeria’s high jump star, is chasing history after claiming her fifth straight conference crown with a commanding 1.94m clearance at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
The two-time NCAA Indoor champion has her sights firmly set on breaking the elusive 2.00m barrier, a feat that would make her the first Nigerian and only the fourth African woman to achieve the milestone.
‘I just want to do the 2 meters. I don’t know if the 2 meters is scared of me… God, please! I just want to do the 2 meters and win nationals,’ Adeshina told Track and Field News after her latest victory.
Her ambition places her in pursuit of legends such as South Africa’s Hestrie Cloete (2.06m), Desiré du Plessis (2.01m), and Charmaine Weavers (2.00m), the only African women to have ever cleared the mark.
At 27, Adeshina’s consistency and dominance suggest she is on the brink of joining that elite company.
This season has already showcased her devastating form. In March, she soared to 1.97m to secure her second consecutive NCAA Division I Indoor title, tying her for No. 5 on the all-time collegiate indoor list.
That mark also places her tied for No. 4 outdoors, thanks to her 1.97m clearance from last year. With a national collegiate outdoor-leading height of 1.95m this season, she remains unmatched in her discipline.
While her Bowerman Watch List recognition, now her fifth career appearance, underscores her standing among the NCAA’s finest athletes, Adeshina insists her focus is on making history with the 2.00m leap and capturing her first outdoor national title.
