Jarrion Lawson

Lawson took up track and his father is Claude Woodberry of Texarkana and field at a young age, but was not initially a particularly promising age group athlete; he made his breakthrough during his freshman and sophomore years at Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas. In addition to track, he played on Liberty-Eylau's football and basketball teams.{{cite web |url=http://www.maxpreps.com/news/H5IP-bSQoUe2kXv7lVpIvw/spotlight--jarrion-lawson-jumps-into-the-nations-elite.htm |title=Spotlight: Jarrion Lawson jumps into the nation's elite |publisher=MaxPreps.com |access-date=June 23, 2016 |date=June 13, 2012 |author=Krider, Dave}} In June 2012, shortly after graduating from Liberty-Eylau, he won both the long jump and the triple jump at the national junior championships and was selected to represent the United States in both events at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona.{{cite web |url=http://www.maxpreps.com/news/zLaHehye20W7bJ_dD43hzg/jarrion-lawson-sweeps-jumps-at-usa-junior-championships.htm |author=Lee, Kirby |publisher=MaxPreps.com |title=Jarrion Lawson sweeps jumps at USA Junior Championships |date=June 16, 2012 |access-date=June 23, 2016}}{{tilastopaja|id=130595}} Lawson won bronze in the long jump in Barcelona, jumping {{convert|7.64|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}} on his best attempt; in the triple jump he was eliminated in the qualifying round.

After graduating from high school Lawson attended the University of Arkansas and represented the Arkansas Razorbacks in collegiate competition. As a freshman, he placed fourth in the long jump with a personal best {{convert|7.92|m|ftin|abbr=on}} at the 2013 NCAA indoor championships and helped the Razorbacks win the indoor team title.{{cite web |url=http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/roster/jarrion-lawson/ |title=Jarrion Lawson |date=May 17, 2015 |publisher=Arkansas Razorbacks |access-date=June 22, 2016}} Outdoors, he won the long jump at the West Regional, but was only 14th at the NCAA meet. He had to drop triple jumping due to knee problems, but started dabbling in the sprints instead; at the NCAA championships he ran the second leg on the Razorbacks' 4 × 100 m relay team, which placed fifth.{{cite web |url=http://m.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/jun/04/lawson-more-jumper/ |title=Lawson more than a jumper |author=Henry, Clay |publisher=Arkansas Online |date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=June 23, 2016}}

Lawson won his first individual NCAA title as a sophomore at the 2014 indoor meet, jumping a personal best {{convert|8.39|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}} at the altitude of Albuquerque; he won by more than a foot. Outdoors, he failed to qualify for the NCAA meet individually, but placed second behind Jeff Henderson at the national championships two weeks later. In 2015 Lawson became an individual-event doubler again, as he started running the individual 100 meters; he broke the Arkansas school record in the NCAA championship semi-finals with 10.04 (+1.7 m/s), and placed third with a wind-aided 9.90 (+2.7 m/s) in the final. The Razorbacks won the 4 × 100 m relay. In the long jump, he jumped a season best {{convert|8.27|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}} at the NCAA indoor championships and a personal outdoor best {{convert|8.34|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}} at the outdoor championships, but lost to Florida's Marquis Dendy both times.

Lawson regained the NCAA indoor long jump title as a senior in 2016, winning with a last-round jump of {{convert|7.95|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}}; in addition, he placed fifth in the 60 meters with a personal best 6.60 seconds.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623234532/http://www.ustfccca.org/ustfccca-awards/the-bowerman/mens-watch-list-info |url=http://www.ustfccca.org/ustfccca-awards/the-bowerman/mens-watch-list-info |publisher=U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association |archive-date=June 23, 2016 |title=Men's Bowerman Trophy Semifinalists}} Outdoors, Lawson took up the 200 meters for the first time; at the SEC outdoor championships he won the long jump, placed fourth in the 100 meters and was sixth in the 200 meters. His 200-meter times dropped from meet to meet, and he placed second in his heat with a personal best 20.17 (+1.5 m/s) at the West Regionals; he qualified for the NCAA championships in all three events.

At the 2016 NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene Lawson won the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the long jump, a triple previously achieved only by Jesse Owens eighty years earlier. His individual meet score of 31.5 points, including partial credit for Arkansas' third place in the 4 × 100 m relay, was also the best since Owens.{{cite web |url=http://arkansasnews.com/sports/lawson-wins-three-ncaa-titles-best-jesse-owens |title=Lawson wins three NCAA titles, the best since Jesse Owens |author=Bolin, Eric W. |publisher=Arkansas News |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=June 23, 2016}}{{cite web |title=Lawson and Brazier rewrite history at NCAA Championships |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/ncaa-championships-2016-cheserek-victor |date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=June 23, 2016 |author1=Dennehy, Cathal |author2=Mulkeen, Jon |publisher=IAAF}}{{#tag:ref|Owens won four events (the two sprints, the long jump, and the later discontinued 220-yard low hurdles) in both 1935 and 1936.|group="note"}} In the long jump, Lawson took the lead in round four and secured first place with his fifth-round leap of {{convert|8.15|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}}. He narrowly defeated Tennessee's Christian Coleman in both sprints, running 10.22 (-2.3 m/s) in the 100 meters and 20.19 (-0.2 m/s) in the longer race; LSU's Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake led the 200-meter semi-finals ahead of Lawson, but lost his chances after suffering a cramp in the relay.{{cite news |title=Injury to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake proves costly as LSU track and field team claims 5th at NCAA championships |newspaper=The Advocate |url=http://theadvocate.com/news/acadiana/16071255-93/injury-to-nethaneel-mitchell-blake-proves-costly-as-lsu-track-and-field-team-claims-5th-at-ncaa-cham |author=Mickles, Sheldon |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=June 23, 2016}}

Lawson turned professional after the 2016 collegiate season and signed an endorsement deal with ASICS.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/16639694/asics-signs-sprinter-jarrion-lawson-endorsement-deal |title=Asics signs sprinter Jarrion Lawson to endorsement deal |author=Rovell, Darren |publisher=ESPN |date=June 30, 2016 |access-date=July 5, 2016}} At the 2016 United States Olympic Trials he broke his personal best in the long jump, jumping {{convert|8.58|m|ftin|abbr=on|frac=4}}; he placed a close second behind Jeff Henderson and qualified for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.{{cite web |url=http://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/July/03/US-Olympic-Team-Trials-For-Track-And-Field |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707065113/http://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/July/03/US-Olympic-Team-Trials-For-Track-And-Field |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2016 |date=July 3, 2016 |access-date=July 5, 2016 |publisher=United States Olympic Committee |title=Allyson Felix Overcomes Ankle Sprain to Take 400 Title, Make Fourth Olympic Team |author=Rosen, Karen}} He also qualified for the Trials final in the 100 meters, but placed seventh in 10.07 (+1.6 m/s) and failed to make the team in that event.{{cite web |url=http://www.ktbs.com/story/32365911/jarrion-lawson-qualifies-for-olympics-in-long-jump-misses-cut-in-100m |title=Jarrion Lawson qualifies for Olympics in long jump, misses cut in 100m |author=Anderson, Alex |publisher=KTBS |date=July 4, 2016 |access-date=July 5, 2016}}

In 2018, Lawson tested positive for a metabolite of the banned anabolic steroid, trenbolone, and was banned for 4 years. After a failed appeal of the ban to the AIU, Lawson took has case to CAS, where his ban was overturned on the grounds that the positive test was due to tainted beef. He was then able to return to competition in 2020.{{Cite web |date=March 6, 2020 |title=Jarrion Lawson, Olympic long jumper, cleared in tainted beef doping case |url=https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2020/03/06/jarrion-lawson-doping-tainted-beef/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=OlympicTalk {{!}} NBC Sports |language=en-US}}

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• {{Olympics.com}}
• {{Olympedia}}

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Category:1994 births

Category:Living people

Category:American male sprinters

Category:American male long jumpers

Category:African-American track and field athletes

Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes

Category:World Athletics Championships medalists

Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States

Category:Sportspeople from Texarkana, Texas

Category:Track and field athletes from Texas

Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen

Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year winners

Category:Diamond League winners

Category:21st-century American sportsmen