Damar Forbes Season 2010
Events: 60 Meters(6.73), Long Jump (IN: 26-11 ¼; OUT: 27-0 ¾), Triple Jump (IN: 52-10 ¼; OUT: 52-0)
2012 Olympian
NCAA Champion
6-time All-American
2-time SEC Champion
6-time All-SEC
2013 SEC Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year
2012 USTFCCCA South Central Region Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
CAREER CAPSULE
Graduated from LSU in May 2013 with a degree in sports administration … One of the most decorated long jumpers in the history of the LSU Track & Field program … Wrapped up his collegiate career as the NCAA Outdoor champion and SEC Outdoor champion in the long jump during his senior season in 2013 … Joined the likes of Billy Brown (1941), Llewellyn Starks (1990), Walter Davis (2002) and John Moffitt (2004) as a national champion for the Tigers in the long jump during his collegiate career … Won an SEC Outdoor title and All-America honors during his senior season while running the leadoff leg of LSU’s 4×100-meter relay team … Captured six All-America and All-SEC honors as an LSU Tiger … One of the top-ranked long jumpers in program history … Ended his career ranked No. 2 indoors (26-11 ¼) and No. 2 outdoors (27-0 ¾) on LSU’s all-time performance list in the long jump … A four-time NCAA silver medalist in the long jump, earning runner-up finishes outdoors in 2011 and 2012 and indoors in 2012 and 2013 … Also won four SEC silver medals in the event during his career, including three SEC Indoor silvers in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and one SEC Outdoor silver in 2012 … Was named the SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week four times during his collegiate career … Won such major awards as the South Central Region Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year award by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in 2012 and the SEC Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year award in 2013 … Represented in Jamaica in the long jump in two World Championships in 2011 and 2013 and the Olympic Games in 2012 during his LSU career.
2013
Capped his collegiate career with one of the most prolific seasons by a long jumper in the history of the LSU program … Named the SEC Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year for his performance … Crowned the SEC Outdoor and NCAA Outdoor champion in the long jump as the nation’s premier performer in the event … Became the third LSU Tiger in program history to sweep SEC Outdoor and NCAA Outdoor titles in the same season, joining Billy Brown (1941) and Walter Davis (2002) … Won his first career SEC and NCAA long jump titles with the two farthest wind-aided jumps of his collegiate career … Won the long jump title at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Columbia, Mo., on his sixth and final jump of the event … Soared to a wind-aided mark of 27-4 ½ (+2.3) to take the title over Florida’s Marquis Dendy (27-2 ½w) … Then completed the sweep by winning the NCAA Outdoor crown by more than one foot with his winning jump of 27-4 ¾w (+2.9) on his second attempt at the NCAA Outdoor Championships held in Eugene, Ore. … Finished more than one foot clear of runner-up Raymond Higgs of Arkansas (26-4 ¼w) … Became the fifth LSU Tiger to be crowned the NCAA Outdoor champion in program history as he also joined the likes of Llewellyn Starks (1990) and John Moffitt (2004) … Also earned All-America honors outdoors while running the leadoff leg on LSU’s 4×100-meter relay team … Teamed with Aaron Ernest, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Shermund Allsop to run a seasonal best of 38.78 seconds for a fourth-place finish in the sprint relay final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships … Also crowned an SEC champion while leading off the winning 4×100-meter relay team with a time of 38.94 at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Earned a spot in the long jump and 4×100 relay with his performance at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds held in Greensboro, N.C. … Jumped 25-0 ½w to advance to the national finals of the long jump as the fourth-best qualifier from the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds … Led off LSU’s sprint relay to the second-fastest qualifying time of 39.19 in the national quarterfinals at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds … Won the long jump title at the Penn Relays for the first time in his collegiate career with a wind-legal jump of 25-11 (+0.0) … Finished in second place in the long jump at the LSU Alumni Gold (25-0 ½) and third place at the Texas Relays (25-10 ¾w) … Ran a personal best of 10.51 (-1.2) in the 100-meter dash in a third-place finish at UCLA’s Rafer Johnson/Jackie-Joyner Kersee Invitational … Won his fourth-straight NCAA Championships silver medal in the long jump during the indoor season … Jumped an indoor PR of 26-11 ¼ to finish as the national runner-up in the long jump while earning All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships held in Fayetteville, Ark. … Indoor PR of 26-11 ¼ ranked No. 2 on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list in the event … Also scored the SEC Indoor silver medal for the third time in his collegiate career with a series-best jump of 26-5 ¾ for a second-place finish at the SEC Indoor Championships … Won back-to-back long jump championships during the indoor season at the Armory Collegiate Invitational (25-10 ¾) and Tyson Invitational (26-0 ¾) … Honored as the SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week on Feb. 5 following his victory at the Armory Collegiate Invitational … Also ran the 60-meter dash during the indoor season … Raced to a personal best of 6.73 in a 12th-place finish in the 60 meters at the Tyson Invitational … Finished in 15th place in qualifying at the SEC Indoor Championships with a time of 6.77 in the preliminary round … Raced to a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter final at the Razorback Invitational with an equal time of 6.77 … The Jamaican long jump champion for the second-straight season … Followed the collegiate season by jumping a wind-legal PR of 27-0 ¾ (+0.5) in defending his long jump title at the Jamaican Senior Championships and qualifying for the World Championships for the second time in his career … Moved into the No. 2 spot on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the men’s long jump.
2012
Swept NCAA silver medals in the long jump with his performance as a junior in 2012 … Scored eight points for the Tigers by claiming the NCAA Indoor silver medal with a series-best jump of 26-2 ¾ at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships held in Nampa, Idaho … Was also an NCAA Championships qualifier in the triple jump during the indoor season, finishing in 16th place with a mark of 48-10 ¼ … Set an indoor personal record of 26-7 ¾ to win the long jump title at the Tyson Invitational … Climbed to the No. 3 spot on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list with his indoor PR of 26-7 ¾ … Jumped more than 26 feet in five of his seven meets during the 2012 indoor season … Earned All-SEC honors with a second-place finish in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Championships with a mark of 26-1 … Also scored six points by claiming the SEC Indoor bronze medal in the triple jump with a lifetime PR of 52-10 ¼ in the conference final … Swept long jump (26-0 ¾) and triple jump (51-10 ¾) titles at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational during the indoor season … Also soared 26-0 ¼ indoors for second place in the long jump at the Razorback Invitational … Repeated his performance during the outdoor season while capturing the SEC Outdoor and NCAA Outdoor silver medals in the long jump … Jumped a wind-aided 26-6 ½ for second place in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa … Posted a seasonal-best wind-legal mark of 26-8 ¼ (+1.2) for second place at the SEC Outdoor Championships at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium … Finished in 11th place in the triple jump at the SEC Outdoor meet with a best of 48-2 ½ … Qualified for the national semifinals in the long jump with the third-best mark of the quarterfinal round at 25-4w at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds … Won the long jump title at the Battle on the Bayou (25-7 ¼) … Finished runner-up in the event at the Penn Relays (25-7 ½w) … Took third place at the Texas Relays (26-0 ¼) … Followed the collegiate season by making his Olympics debut for Jamaica … Crowned the Jamaican national champion in the long jump with a winning leap of 25-10 ¾ (-0.7) at the Jamaican Senior Championships in Kingston … Met the Olympic “A” qualifying standard with a wind-legal PR of 27-0 set at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2011 … Finished in 18th place in long jump qualifying at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with a best mark of 25-6 ¾ posted during the meet.
2011
Solidified his reputation as one of the elite long jumpers in the NCAA after wrapping up the collegiate season as the national runner-up at the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa … Earned his first career All-America honor and joined the 27-foot club by shattering his lifetime personal record with a jump of 27-0 on his fourth attempt of the long jump final en route to an NCAA runner-up finish … Was second only to three-time NCAA long jump champion Ngonidzashe Makusha of Florida State (27-6 ¾) in the national final … Moved into the No. 3 spot on LSU’s all-time outdoor performance list in the long jump, trailing only former NCAA champions John Moffitt (27-9 ½) and Llewellyn Starks (27-0 ½) in the school rankings … Also ranked No. 18 worldwide for the 2011 outdoor season after setting his PR of 27-0 at the NCAA Championships … Advanced to the NCAA semifinal in Des Moines following a second-place finish at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Bloomington, Ind. (25-8 ¼) … Competed in both the long jump and triple jump at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Scored four points for the Tigers with a fifth-place finish in the long jump after jumping 26-1 ¾ at the SEC Outdoor meet … Earned a 16th-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 48-8 ¾ … Won the long jump title at the LSU Invitational (25-4 ¾) … Earned a runner-up finish at the LSU Alumni Gold with a wind-aided mark of 26-1 ½ … Competed in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in his career … Nearly took home All-America honors during the indoor season with a ninth-place finish at the national meet in College Station, Texas … Jumped a series-best 25-4 en route to a ninth-place finish in the final at the NCAA Indoor meet … Earned his first career all-conference honor during the 2011 indoor season with an All-SEC runner-up finish in the long jump at the SEC Indoor Championships … Matched his indoor PR with a series-best effort of 26-3 to take second place indoors at the SEC Championships … Added a seventh-place finish in the triple jump at the SEC Indoor meet while jumping 51-7 ¾ … Scored a total of 10 points for the Tigers with his performance at the SEC Indoor Championships … Set his PR of 26-3 for the first time in a runner-up finish at the Purple Tiger Invitational in LSU’s 2011 indoor season opener … Won the long jump at the LSU vs. Texas A&M Dual Meet with a mark of 25-10 ¼ … Placed third at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational (25-0 ¾) and fifth at the Tyson Invitational (25-6 ¼) during the indoor season … Posted an indoor seasonal best in the triple jump at 51-10 in a fifth-place finish at the Razorback Invitational … Followed the collegiate season by representing Jamaica in the long jump at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea … Met the “A” qualifying standard with his seasonal-best jump of 27-0 at the NCAA meet … Managed an 18th-place finish in qualification at the World Championships after jumping a series-best 25-11 ½ … Also jumped 25-7 ½ to claim the silver medal for Jamaica in the long jump at the 2011 Central American & Caribbean Championships held in Puerto Rico.
2010
Proved to be one of the nation’s top young talents in the long jump and triple jump with his performance in 2010 … Ranked among the NCAA’s top freshmen performers in each event … Wrapped up the outdoor campaign as the nation’s No. 3-ranked freshman in both the long jump and triple jump … Shattered indoor and outdoor personal bests in both horizontal jumps during his freshman season … Made his debut in the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships … Finished in 14th place in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor meet with a top mark of 24-7 ¼ in the preliminary round … Finished in 20th place in the triple jump at the national meet with a top mark of 49-3 ½ in the competition … Qualified for the national meet with a third-place finish in the long jump (25-8) and a seventh-place finish in the triple jump (51-7 ¾w) at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds in Greensboro, N.C. … Scored six points for the Tigers with his performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships … Earned a fourth-place finish and five points in the long jump with a new wind-legal lifetime personal best of 26-0 ¼ on his sixth and final attempt of the competition … Added one point in the triple jump with an eighth-place finish at the SEC Outdoor meet after posting a top mark of 50-2 ¾ in the event … Jumped a wind-legal PR of 52-0 in his outdoor debut in the triple jump to finish runner-up at the LSU Tiger Relays … Won the college section of the long jump at the Penn Relays with an impressive mark of 25-10 ¾ on his last jump of the competition … Also jumped 25-2 in the event in a runner-up finish at the LSU Tiger Relays in his outdoor season opener … Scored five points between the two events at the SEC Indoor Championships … Recorded an indoor PR and an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 51-11 ¾ to take fifth place in the triple jump at the SEC Indoor meet … Finished in eighth place in the long jump with a provisional qualifying mark of 24-9 at the indoor meet … Posted a top NCAA provisional qualifying mark with an indoor PR of 25-1 ¼ at the LSU NCAA Indoor Qualifier.
PRIOR TO LSU
One of the top jumps prospects in the United States for the Class of 2009 … Came to LSU with a personal best of 24-8 ¼ in the long jump … Also competed in the triple jump with a personal best of 48-1 ¼ … Won the long jump title at the 2008 USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Omaha, Neb., with his personal-best mark of 24-8 ¼ … Mark ranked No. 7 overall by a high school boy in the United States in 2008 and No. 2 by a member of the Class of 2009 … Was the Georgia Class 5A state champion in the long jump as a junior in 2008 after jumping 23-10 ½ at the state championship meet … Was the nation’s No. 2-ranked long jumper in the 2009 indoor season after setting a mark of 24-6 ½ to win the event title at the LSU High School Classic … He also set his overall personal best of 48-1 ¼ to win the triple jump title at the LSU High School Classic … Coached at the club level by Eric T. Merriweather of the Sprint Athletics Track Club.
PERSONAL
Full name is Damar Hopeton Forbes … Born on Sept. 11, 1990, in St. Ann, Jamaica … Son of Joan and Hopeton Forbes … Has an older brother, Damion Ricketts, who is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. … Has two brothers, Valentine and Dujon, and one sister, Deaundra … Lived in Kingston, Jamaica, before moving to Pittsburgh, Pa., at the age of 7 … Was a member of the Technology Student Association at his high school for two years … Majoring in sport administration with a concentration in sport leadership.