Reese wins U.S. long jump title, readies for worlds

Brittney Reese of Gulfport, easily outdistanced the competition to win the long jump at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Portland, Ore.

Reese, an Olympic gold medalist, jumped 22 feet, 71/4 inches to win the event. She was 7 3/4 inches better than her closest competitor and Nike teammate Janay DeLoach, who jumped 21 feet, 9 1/2 inches.

Reese also is the American record holder in the event with a jump of 23 feet, 8 3/4 inches, set in 2012.

Reese jumped all six rounds trying to beat her American record. Although it looked like she bested the mark twice, she was flagged both times for fouls on the takeoffs.

Reese will be competing at the Portland Convention Center again next week at the world indoor championships March 17-20.

On her Facebook page on Monday, Reese announced plans to put together and summer track team program on the Coast, saying she wants to offer kids a chance to "get off the streets and into colleges."

Reese said she notices that basketball and football programs offer summer programs and camps that get athletes noticed by colleges, but that track doesn't have that system in place. But summer track is an option.

"I will be trying to put together a team in the next years to come," she said, adding that it would be in a two-year time frame.

"It takes a village to help these kids and I will need help to make this possible also."

Fellow long jumper Martha Mendenhall, who competed in college at the University of Puget Sound, offered her help on the same Facebook post.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Reese wins U.S. long jump title, readies for worlds ."