From what I’ve heard, female triple jumpers peak around ages 30 to 32. So, why am I retiring at 28?
Here’s why – but wait, before I dive into all my reasons, do know that prayer played a huge role in helping me make my final decision about retirement. This blog focuses on the other factors that influenced the decision.
Okay, now let’s get into it…
1) Underperforming
This is the biggest reason. I’m a numbers person, and I believe numbers don't lie. Here’s how my jump averages, best jumps, and worst jumps looked throughout my professional career:
2019: 14.51m (Best:14.72m, Worst:14.30m)
2020: 14.19m (Best: 14.60m, Worst:13.84m)
For context, this was a COVID season, I competed 4 times and wasn’t consistently training. My worst jump was from a short approach and my best jump was at U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS in February before everything shut down.
2021: 14.43m (Best: 14.92m, Worst:13.96m)
2022: 14.48m (Best: 14.79m, Worst:14.28m)
2023: 14.16m (Best:14.43m, Worst:13.55m)
2024: 14.12m (Best: 14.50m, Worst:13.91m)
The trend spoke for itself - there was a steep drop after 2022. What frustrated me the most was people telling me how I should feel about my performances. While I appreciated their intentions, no one knows my marks better than I do. I knew what I was capable of and being asked to feel content with not improving didn't sit right with me. My standards weren’t based on my dreams —they were based on actual reality and past performances.
2) Distance From My Husband
Since 2020, I’ve moved from Georgia to Florida, to California, back to Georgia, and then to Maryland, all in pursuit of finding a coach to help me accomplish my goals. For context, my husband and I bought a house together in 2020, but I spent more time away than home. IF and only IF I were seeing improvement, I might have continued, but sacrificing time with my husband while underperforming became a non-option.
3) My Loves for the Sport Disappeared
I always found it funny when I was at competitions and coaches would tell me “just go out there and have ‘fun’” because in all honesty triple jump/long jump was never something I would describe as fun, in the traditional sense. Winning was fun. Training with teammates was fun. Traveling and seeing friends at competitions was fun. But when those things faded —no teammates, no close friends at meets, fewer wins—the sport lost its joy. What I actually enjoyed were the opportunities it gave me to challenge myself, progress, and accomplish great things alongside other people. There is a quote I love: “Q: What’s more important: the journey or the destination? A: The company!” By the end of my career, I often found myself asking, “Why am I here?”
Side note: It’s okay to not love the sport you’re doing. Sports can serve as a tool to pay for college, meet people, make a living, or gain valuable life experiences. Not loving the sport doesn't make your achievements any less valid. People go work jobs everyday that they don't necessarily enjoy, and being a professional athlete is no different.
4) Body Pains
Triple jump training is especially brutal on the body. Over the years, injuries piled up. Just this year leading up to the 2024 Olympics, I had a back injury that made sitting painful, a knee injury that required anti-inflammatories to train through the pain (despite the risk of liver damage), and countless other setbacks. It became clear to me that my body was working against me.
I think y’all are seeing my consistent point now... If I were improving, I might have endured the pain, but with no significant progress, it didn’t make sense to keep pushing my body past its limits.
5) Acceptance of Untapped Potential
Retiring “young” means making peace with the “what ifs.” Could I have achieved more?
Maybe. Or maybe not. Part of this decision is being okay with not knowing. There’s a quote from Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke (a book that came into my life at just the right time — more on that later) that really resonated with me:
“Quitting requires being okay with not knowing what might have been.”
There’s an aspect of sport that is a never ending chase of what could be. We are pushing ourselves to see how great we can really be. At this time, I have complete clarity and confidence in my decision to jump off this hamster wheel and start chasing my potential elsewhere.
6) Undervalued
This played a small role but it is worth mentioning. I didn’t start triple jumping for
recognition or money, but I am very aware that when you receive those, it helps cushion the setbacks and disappointments. Despite rewriting the history books in American women’s triple jump, the lack of appreciation from the sports world in general for both the event and my accomplishments was noticeable. Retirement is a much harder choice when you're well-paid and feeling valued.
How Did I Make Peace With the Decision?
I first considered retirement in 2022 and later became more firm about the timing in 2023. While browsing a blog post, I stumbled upon the book Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, which solidified my decision. I remember people questioning my decision based on hypotheticals and I reassured them with, “Even if I win an Olympic medal this year, I will still retire.” A medal would not have changed my mind because the reasons stated above would still be a reality.
Here are a few quotes from the book that I will carry with me for a lifetime:
“Expected value is not just about money. It can be measured in health, well-being, happiness, time, self-fulfillment, satisfaction in relationships, or anything else that affects you.”
These were the measurements I considered when deciding to retire. How is my health? Am I happy? Do I feel balanced and at peace? Am I prioritizing my mental and emotional health? Am I strengthening my relationships? Are the relationships in my life adding value and positivity? My answers to these questions during the latter parts of my athletic career would have been sad to read.
I'm confident that most people, if they had been living in my body, would have made the same decision to retire. I felt terrible —physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was glaringly clear that it was time to move on from jumping.
“Success is not achieved by quitting things just because they are hard. But success is also not achieved by sticking to hard things that are not worthwhile…The trick is in figuring out when to persevere and when to walk away… Persistence is not always the best decision.”
Reflecting on my journey and the questions I asked myself, I felt I had persevered more than enough and it no longer felt worthwhile.
“That’s the funny thing about grit. While grit can get you to stick to hard things that are worthwhile, grit can also get you to stick to hard things that are no longer worthwhile.”
Our society often glorifies grit and persistence, making it common to stay committed to things that are no longer worthwhile. Quitting is often seen as failure, and there’s that fear of being labeled weak or feeling embarrassed.
“Quitting on time usually feels like quitting too early.”
Some may believe I ended my career too soon, but no one else is living my life. Only you know what you feel, and that’s what matters most when making decisions about your own path.
Gratitude and Faith
The irony of how I feel about my career is that I am so proud of achieving far more than I ever imagined for myself, YET I am disappointed that I didn't accomplish everything I wanted and truly believed I was capable of. Both can be true. When I started track, I had no idea I could be this good. But as I improved, I began to see my potential and set bigger goals for myself.
Everyone starts their journey in sports for different reasons, and everyone retires for different reasons. My hope is that when the time comes for you to make a big decision — whether it’s sport-related or not — you feel confident in your choice. No one else should make you feel like your reason isn’t good enough or that you're too young, too old, or whatever people may say. “Let the thought of starting again excite you and not scare you.” You can retire whenever you want, for whatever reason you want.
And, of course, we always have the freedom to change our mind.
If you know me, you know I have to end this blog with a scripture, especially after all this talk of “I” and “me.” This Bible verse is from 1 Corinthians 4:6-7:
“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
I recognize that everything I’ve achieved is not solely because of my own strength, but by the grace and mercy of God. It is because of God’s unearned favor that I have been able to accomplish what I have. So, I will always boast in Him who has so generously blessed me. This season of life has taught me that suffering has a distinct purpose and is necessary for me to become more like Jesus.
My prayer during this time:
Thank you God, for giving me this gift that has brought so much into my life. What I had, I gave. I put my best effort into being a wise steward of it. I am confident that I'm leaving this sport knowing I tried my best, which is what You ask of us. Remind me continuously that the experiences in my life are for my good and Your glory. Amen.
“If it drains you more than it uplifts you, it’s time to let it go”
