AAU JO Games Recap: Pardo's Big Moment And More From Day 3

Photo Credit: David Nguyen/MileSplit

* Recap written by Cory Mull

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Jayden Wayne watched from the runway as Anthony Buford skied through the air and bombed into the sand like a heat-seeking missile.

Elation crossed over Buford, a rising senior at Detroit Douglass High School, as he secured the first 23-foot jump of his career. Wayne couldn't help but smile. He felt that, too. 

"I was so excited for him," Wayne said. 

Lucky for him, though, he followed the mark. The '23 Little Miami High School graduate was so excited, in fact, that he replicated Buford's effort and then some, securing a new personal record mark of 23 feet, 4.5 inches. 

It was a new PR for Wayne and also his first time over 22-10.5. What's more, he also secured a runner-up finish in the 17-18yo boys long jump at the AAU Junior Olympics on Monday at Drake Stadium. It was his first podium finish in a major championship. 

Buford was third with a leap of 23-3.5. Isaac Ativie won the event with a mark of 23-7.5. 

"He had some tears. We shared a brotherly moment," Wayne said of his dueling efforts with Buford. "We dapped each other up, we gave each other hugs.

That jump only hit the surface, though. 

Just two years ago, as Wayne made his first foray into the sport, opening his career with a 19-foot jump and finishing that year with a PR of 21-7.25, he was simply learning. But a little over 12 months later, he's nearly two feet farther in the pit. 

So what's his ceiling? Wayne only knows he wants to keep growing. 

Right now, that future looks bright. Louisville, a program for which Wayne took an unofficial visit, signed him recently. The Cardinal are allowing the Ohio athlete to walk-on to in 2024. He might not be a non-scholarship athlete for that long, though, at least if he keeps up with those 23-foot jumps. 

"To be able to come out here and jump a 23-4, it felt amazing. Not only that, it's only my second year of track. It's exhilarating man."

MVP OF THE DAY

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Patricio Pardo (Bethesda, Maryland)

9:33.67

This young man has no off switch. 

And for his efforts on Monday, a crescendo of applause met Patricio Pardo at the line after the 12-year-old star blitzed past a 36-year-old AAU national record in the 3,000 meter run at Drake Stadium, winning in 9:33.67. 

Pardo went after the record early and moved past his competition as he zeroed in on the former mark of 9:40.8, which was last set in 1987. 

The honor was nothing new for Pardo, who clinched his first national record in 2022 in the 3K. 

But what was more important for the young runner on Monday was who he was competing for. That honor, he said, went to his sister, who couldn't be at the meet. 

Next up for the Marylander is the 800m on Wednesday and the 1,500m on Thursday. 

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