Former Gators All-American Marquis Dendy, shown here in 2016, is set to appear in his first Olympic Games later this month in Tokyo, Japan. (Graphic: UAA Communications)
Gators In Olympic Games: Marquis Dendy
Sunday, July 11, 2021 | Track and Field, Men's Track and Field, Scott Carter, Olympics
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of the best comeback stories for the U.S. Olympic Team headed to Tokyo belongs to former Gators All-American MarquisDendy.
Most expected Dendy's shot at Olympic glory to happen at the Rio Games in 2016. Dendy earned a spot on Team USA in the long jump and was considered one of the favorites. However, only days before the Games were to start, Dendy suffered a lower-leg injury that prevented him from competing.
Five years later -- the global coronavirus pandemic extended Dendy's wait for a year -- the 28-year-old Dendy refused to be denied. Dendy finished second in the long jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month to secure his spot in Tokyo in the long jump.
Dendy is no stranger to international success. He was the the 2015 U.S. outdoor national champion and 2016 U.S. and world indoor gold medalist, and no male athlete has won more titles in the horizontal jumps at the NCAA Championships since the turn of the millennium than Dendy.
Now, after a long wait and the accumulation of years on his tall and lean frame, Dendy finally gets a chance at the Olympics.
Marquis Dendy soars through the air at last month's U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore. (Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)
AT A GLANCE Marquis Dendy after winning the long-jump title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2016. (Photo: Via WorldAthletics.org) SPORT: Track & Field
EVENT: Men's long jump
HOW HE QUALIFIED: Dendy earned a spot on Team USA by finishing second in the long jump with a season-best leap of 8.38 meters (27 feet, 6 inches) in his second attempt at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials last month.
TOKYO SCHEDULE: The qualifying round for the men's long jump starts July 31 and the final is Aug. 2 at the Olympic Stadium.
UF CAREER: Dendy arrived at UF from Middletown, Del., and not only continued the Gators' excellence in jumps on the heels of such standouts at Christian Taylor, Will Claye and Omar Craddock, but he stamped his own star on the program's record books. Dendy won seven national titles in the long jump and triple jump (outdoor and indoor) during his career and was named the 2015 Bowerman winner, the top individual honor in NCAA Track & Field.
NEED TO KNOW: Dendy's 8.38-meter jump at the Olympic Trials last month was his longest in the event outdoors since the 2016 Olympic Trials, when he posted a jump of 8.42 meters, which pegged him as a favorite in Rio until his injury.
