Bucknell University Athletics
Rayven Sample '24 Sets T45 American Record in the Long Jump
7/24/2026 11:40:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y.– Rayven Sample '24 made history on the second day of the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships, setting the T45 American record in the ambulatory long jump just 40 minutes after racing in the 400-meter dash. Sample ended Grayson Adams' one-year reign as T45 American record holder.
ResultsÂ
"Opening and closing my season at Nationals was a wonderful experience," Sample said. "I went into this meet with the singular goal of having fun and enjoying the sport; I accomplished that for sure."
Sample finished seventh overall among 10 competitors, but he shattered the T45 American record with a best jump of 5.93 meters (19-5.50). He broke the record on each of his six attempts, beginning with a 5.53-meter (18-1.75) leap and improving to 5.79 meters (19-0) on his second attempt. His best mark came on his fourth jump.
"This meet was great and breaking the American record, it was really weird. I hit my first jump and the whole meet stops, the whole long jump event stops. I'm like, oh, wait, did I do something wrong? What's going on? I've never really done it at this caliber of a meet before. All the guys are like, you just hit the American record and they're all celebrating with me."
Sample entered the event as frigid as a jumper could be. He had not jumped since his sophomore season at Bucknell and did not practice for this competition. Natural ability and his old style carried the day.
"I entered the event to watch my friends compete from on the track instead of the stands and somehow walked away with another notch on my belt."
Adams jumped 4.27m (14-0.25) last year in Grand Rapids. His reign as the American record holder lasted but a year before Sample, jumping in honor of his friend Dallas Wise, entered the history books.Â
Jarryd Wallace (T64) won the overall event with a jump of 7.59m (24-11).Â
Before his record-breaking long jump, Sample minted another gold medal in the T45 400-meter dash category after winning last year in Eugene. He won the T45 category in 51.34 seconds, nearly a full second faster than his qualifying time of 52.19, while finishing fourth overall in the combined classification field. Jayden Blackwell won the overall event in 47.23 seconds, setting a T38 record. Hunter Woodhall, who initially appeared to finish ahead of Blackwell, was disqualified after officials determined that his foam starting block violated the competition rules.Â
"I put down a better 400 (51.34 final time; splits of 12.27 - 23.62 (11.35) - 36.55 (12.94) - 51.34 (14.79) in finals and I'm pretty happy with that."
Sample does not intend to continue a career in the long jump:Â
"I do not intend to pursue long jump in the future for the reason that keeps plaguing my career: the classification grouping of T47/T46/T45. A systematic failure by World Para Athletics that has resulted in the near erasure of the T45 class especially with my classification, I'm one of the only T45s in the world."
The Para community has been an influence for Sample:Â
"I can never emphasize enough how wonderful the Para community is and how much of a positive impact it has had for me. However I can give back to the movement, I'm always here for. So just continuously competing, whether I'm as competitive as I want to be or not, just keep competing to keep growing the sport because if I'm not here, nobody else would be and so it's kind of carrying the torch a little bit."
Overall, the 2026 National Championships reflected a positive experience for Sample:
"I feel recharged and am looking forward to the next two years of the quad. I'm out here racing for the love of the game with no expectations but will always welcome any achievements I'm able to get and one of those achievements was America's T45 long jump record. For me, at the end of the day, this is giving back to the community that allowed me to feel comfortable in my skin. Before para, I didn't feel comfortable as a disabled person and now I have that confidence to live my life just comfortable in who I am and with the arms I have and the condition that I have and it's no longer a source of shame, but really a source of strength."
ResultsÂ
"Opening and closing my season at Nationals was a wonderful experience," Sample said. "I went into this meet with the singular goal of having fun and enjoying the sport; I accomplished that for sure."
Sample finished seventh overall among 10 competitors, but he shattered the T45 American record with a best jump of 5.93 meters (19-5.50). He broke the record on each of his six attempts, beginning with a 5.53-meter (18-1.75) leap and improving to 5.79 meters (19-0) on his second attempt. His best mark came on his fourth jump.
"This meet was great and breaking the American record, it was really weird. I hit my first jump and the whole meet stops, the whole long jump event stops. I'm like, oh, wait, did I do something wrong? What's going on? I've never really done it at this caliber of a meet before. All the guys are like, you just hit the American record and they're all celebrating with me."
Sample entered the event as frigid as a jumper could be. He had not jumped since his sophomore season at Bucknell and did not practice for this competition. Natural ability and his old style carried the day.
"I entered the event to watch my friends compete from on the track instead of the stands and somehow walked away with another notch on my belt."
Adams jumped 4.27m (14-0.25) last year in Grand Rapids. His reign as the American record holder lasted but a year before Sample, jumping in honor of his friend Dallas Wise, entered the history books.Â
Jarryd Wallace (T64) won the overall event with a jump of 7.59m (24-11).Â
Before his record-breaking long jump, Sample minted another gold medal in the T45 400-meter dash category after winning last year in Eugene. He won the T45 category in 51.34 seconds, nearly a full second faster than his qualifying time of 52.19, while finishing fourth overall in the combined classification field. Jayden Blackwell won the overall event in 47.23 seconds, setting a T38 record. Hunter Woodhall, who initially appeared to finish ahead of Blackwell, was disqualified after officials determined that his foam starting block violated the competition rules.Â
"I put down a better 400 (51.34 final time; splits of 12.27 - 23.62 (11.35) - 36.55 (12.94) - 51.34 (14.79) in finals and I'm pretty happy with that."
Sample does not intend to continue a career in the long jump:Â
"I do not intend to pursue long jump in the future for the reason that keeps plaguing my career: the classification grouping of T47/T46/T45. A systematic failure by World Para Athletics that has resulted in the near erasure of the T45 class especially with my classification, I'm one of the only T45s in the world."
The Para community has been an influence for Sample:Â
"I can never emphasize enough how wonderful the Para community is and how much of a positive impact it has had for me. However I can give back to the movement, I'm always here for. So just continuously competing, whether I'm as competitive as I want to be or not, just keep competing to keep growing the sport because if I'm not here, nobody else would be and so it's kind of carrying the torch a little bit."
Overall, the 2026 National Championships reflected a positive experience for Sample:
"I feel recharged and am looking forward to the next two years of the quad. I'm out here racing for the love of the game with no expectations but will always welcome any achievements I'm able to get and one of those achievements was America's T45 long jump record. For me, at the end of the day, this is giving back to the community that allowed me to feel comfortable in my skin. Before para, I didn't feel comfortable as a disabled person and now I have that confidence to live my life just comfortable in who I am and with the arms I have and the condition that I have and it's no longer a source of shame, but really a source of strength."
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