Athlete of the Week: Christensen Lands on Top at Penn Relays

While junior Becky Christensen was busy last week getting old injuries examined, the Penn Relays were the farthest thing from her mind. But when doctors said her foot was cleared for jumping, she decided at the last minute to head off to Pennsylvania to compete with some of the best high jumpers in the country.

It was a decision which ultimately reaped great rewards. Christensen, an All-American, became just the third Harvard female to win at the Penn Relays.

She brought home the high jumping gold, clearing a height of 179 cm, by out-jumping athletes who had podium-placed at the indoor NCAA Championships last month. Christensen placed fourth at that meet.

Now the junior joins an elite group of Crimson female athletes to claim victory at the Penn Relays, an event that boasts some of the strongest talent Harvard faces all year. Olympian Brenda Taylor ’01 and two-time high jump champion Dora Gyorffy ’01 are the only other Crimson women with a Penn Relay title.

Christensen was one of only three athletes who cleared 179 cm at the Penn Relays this past weekend, earning victory by clearing the height on her first attempt.

She had planned on resting during the weekend by foregoing to trip to Pennsylvania, in order to rest from the long and draining season, but ultimately decided she had nothing to lose.

Although her winning height of 179 cm is lower that her personal best of 183 cm, Christensen is still pleased with the performance.

“The people who jumped the same heights I did have also jumped 183 cm, so I wasn’t the only one that didn’t jump as high as I wanted,” Christensen said. “It’s always nice to win. It’s even better if you jump really well, but it’s always nice to win.”

Assistant coach Will Thomas described winning at the Penn Relays as an honor.

“It’s a really prestigious thing to win,” Thomas said. “That was definitely a good experience; she jumped really well. She won by being very consistent and by doing what she does best.”

Thomas adds that Christensen’s progress this season is something that helped her win on Friday.

“Her consistency, her takeoff and her approach has become something very easy and very smooth,” Thomas said.

Christensen believes that her success hangs on her ability to be calm and relaxed during a meet, qualities that captain Sally Stanton believes she possesses.

“[Christensen] never has a bad performance; some days she has great ones and some days she had good ones,” Stanton said. “In something like the high jump it’s easy to have a bad day and start getting frustrated. I’ve never seen Becky do that.”

Thomas praises Christensen for her humble attitude and for being one of the most well-liked athletes on the team.

“You would never know that she was a two-time All-American high jumper,” he said. “She’s definitely a pleasure to coach.”

Looking forward, Christensen’s progress to date only implies greater success ahead.

“This whole year she raised the bar for herself, as far as being consistent at more of a national caliber,” Thomas said. “She’s gonna get another centimeter or two in the next couple of weeks which should qualify her for the Olympic Trials coming up. That’s the next milestone.”

It’s a milestone that Christensen believes is attainable. She hopes to jump 184 cm in the next few weeks before NCAA Regionals in order to be eligible for Olympic Trials. While she is not holding out hope for Beijing given the huge amount of talent in US high jumping this year, Christensen believes going to trials would be an as yet unparalleled experience for her.

Although she hopes to place well in the coming weeks, achieving a new personal best is Christensen’s imminent goal.

“Improvement in the high jump is about perfecting what you do over the bar. Now my technique is pretty good, it’s just a matter of everything coming together at the same time for the one jump that will actually be really good,” Christensen said.

“I’ve had really good attempts at those heights, but usually what has happened this season is that I’ve been over the bar and then at the end my foot will catch it, so I know that I can jump those heights.”

If Christensen’s recent momentum is an indicator, then jump them she will.