Washington's Nyariek Kur makes history, breaks South Dakota long jump state meet record

All eyes were on Nyariek Kur on Friday at the South Dakota state track and field meet.

Seemingly every event she competes in draws a crowd, and for good reason. The Washington senior is the top-ranked participant – or the favorite – for four of the events she’s competing in at the meet.

Kur feels the eyes on her. She feels the weight of the crowd’s, and her own, expectations.

Kur didn't live up to those expectations Thursday. She entered the high jump with the highest seed, having previously jumped a 5-07. Yet the Washington senior ended tied for fifth after a 5-02 leap.

“Obviously there’s a stress from being number one for all four of my events,” Kur said Friday. “But I just try to get out of that.”

Both Kur and her track and field coach Shane Reilly credit her tremendous support system – her friends and family – for helping her get back on track when she needs it. She’s also gained plenty of experience in how to deal with pressure and expectations since her level of success has continued to grow.

So, before her long jump Friday morning, the crowd gathered behind the bleachers of Howard Wood Field, eager to catch a glimpse of Kur. Before her heat, the North Dakota State commit used heat packs to combat the chill winds and ease her sore limbs after competing in the 100-meter hurdle prelims on Thursday.

On her third leap, Kur made history, making a 19-02 jump and shattering the previous meet record of 18-10.75. It wasn't a PR, she pointed out, but it'll do.

“It feels amazing,” Kur said of breaking the state meet record. “I didn't have a good first day but coming back and doing this, I feel very blessed.”

Reilly couldn’t hold back his praise for Kur, saying she’s put in a tremendous amount of work to get to this point. In addition to working with the Washington track and field coaches, she's also been working with a personal trainer who has helped her take that leap to the next level.

“We were kind of talking about, from where she started as a freshman and just over the past four years, she was an outstanding freshman for sure but the progression from going to like a state placer to what she is now and breaking records, it's really been a good progression each year that she gets a little bit better,” Reilly said. “She has high expectations and high goals for herself and she's reaching them, and we can't wait to see what she does at the next level.”

Kur will compete in the 100-meter hurdle finals, and then the triple jump on Saturday.

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at@JFERN31

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Washington's Nyariek Kur makes history, breaks long jump meet record