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Covington wins U.S. youth triple jump crown

Capital High senior qualifies for world youth meet in Italy.

BY MIKE PRATER - mprater@idahostatesman.com

Copyright: mprater@idahostatesman.com © 2009 Idaho Statesman

Published: 07/01/09


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Statesman file photo
Kasen Covington

Kasen Covington is taking his high-flying act to international soil for the first time.

Covington, 17, won the triple jump at the 2009 USA Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Tuesday. He beat a field of five other athletes with a jump of 48 feet, 4Ý inches. Phillip Young of Key West, Fla., finished second with a 48-0.

Covington, a two-time defending state high school champion at Capital and a former age-group national champ, will represent the United States at the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy, on July 8-12.

He flies from Michigan to Italy on Saturday.

"I'm definitely excited. I'm trying not to get too nervous,'' Covington said. "I'm excited to see what competition is like at the international level.''

YMCA Team Idaho coach Tim Severa, who is in Michigan with Covington, said his jumper has a chance to medal in Italy.

"If he can hit the 50-foot jump that he's barely missing, that would get him in the top six,'' Severa said. "He's not that far out of it. He's definitely got a shot to place high.''

Covington will compete in the long jump on Wednesday morning in Ypsilanti.

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