An 11-year-old South Florida native has broken a national record at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Andrew Francis, a high jumper, achieved a remarkable feat on Tuesday by clearing a height of 5 feet, 8 inches, passing the previous record of 5 feet, 2.25 inches set in 2015.
Francis didn’t just break the record once; he shattered it four times in succession, securing the championship mark.
Spectators at the event were visibly excited, cheering on the talented high jumper as he made his record-breaking attempts.
Francis has been building a reputation in the high jump over the past few years. In 2022, he won the USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships in the boys’ 9-10 division with a personal best of 1.35m, outperforming his competitors by 10 centimeters. Last year, Francis faced an injury but still managed to achieve a personal record of 5 feet, 3 inches.
This year has been particularly successful for him. At the AAU Track and Field Florida Gold Coast District Qualifier, he competed in multiple events, including the high jump, long jump, and 800-meter hurdles. He set personal records in the long jump and 80-meter hurdles, finishing the latter in 13.21 seconds. His season’s personal record in the high jump at that point was 5 feet, 6 inches.
Besides his accomplishments in track and field, Francis is also a football player, earning recognition as a rising star in the sport.
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