Isaiah Jewett Explained

Isaiah Jewett
Full Name:Isaiah Champion Jewett
Birth Date:6 February 1997
Birth Place:Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Hometown:Inglewood, California, U.S.
Education:University of Southern California
Height:6 ft 0 in[1]
Country:United States
Sport:Track and field
Event:400m, 800m
Collegeteam:USC Trojans

Isaiah Champion Jewett (born February 6, 1997)[2] is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He finished second in the event at the NACAC U23 Championships in 2019, and he won a national title at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships while competing for the University of Southern California. Jewett represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Junior and collegiate competition

Jewett attended Culver City High School before transferring to Cathedral High School in Los Angeles.[3] As a high schooler, he primarily focused on the 400 metres. For college, he attended the University of California, Irvine, where he began competing in the 800 metres. He went undefeated in the 2017 regular season, and he won the Big West Championship. After his sophomore year, Jewett switched schools to compete for the University of Southern California. In an interview about his decision to transfer, he stated: "I transferred from UC Irvine to USC because there were better opportunities academically" and "track wise, USC makes champions and I wanted to be a champion."[4] The transfer required him to sit out the 2018 collegiate season due to NCAA eligibility rules, so he ran unattached in USATF events.

In 2019, Jewett won a silver medal in the 800 m at the NACAC U23 Championships in Queretaro, Mexico.[5] At the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Jewett won an NCAA title in the 800 m, besting runner up Brandon Miller.[6] His time of 1:44.68 was a school record, ahead of alumni who went on to compete in the Olympics, including Ibrahim Okash and Duane Solomon.[7]

Senior competition

On June 21, 2021, Jewett finished runner up at the 2020 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, behind Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy.[8] His time of 1:43.85 was a personal best, and it qualified him for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. This performance carried extra meaning for Jewett because it came nearly on the anniversary of his brother Robert's death, who died in an automobile accident eight years prior. Jewett was also a college student at the time, and after the race, he had to complete a 10-page essay by midnight, as his academic program did not allow an extension.[9]

In the 800 m at the 2020 Summer Games, Jewett ran 1:47.07 in a preliminary round to advance to the semi-finals. There, he collided with 2012 silver medalist Nijel Amos, with the two runners becoming tangled in the final stretch of the race.[10] Jewett helped Amos to his feet, and they crossed the finish line together. Referees granted Amos a place in the final but did not allow Jewett to advance.[11]

Competing at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Jewett reached the final of the 800 m, where he finished fourth.[12]

He secured the standard time for the 2024 Paris Olympics in finishing runner-up in the 800 metres at the LA Grand Prix in May 2024.[13]

Personal

Jewett was born with a condition that made one eye weak and sensitive to light, contributing to migraines. He started wearing sunglasses to lessen symptoms like blurred vision and trouble visualizing competitors while running. In college, Jewett studied animation, owing to his interest in anime, which he has described as a source of motivation for his running.[14] In the Los Angeles Times, he was quoted as saying that he wanted to provide inspiration to people watching the Tokyo Olympics “the way anime and cartoons inspired me.” His mother, Venus is a Masters World Champion sprinter.[15] She started a track and field program at Culver City Middle School, then coached at Culver City High School for over a decade.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Isaiah Jewett - Track & Field . . usctrojans.com . June 22, 2021 . June 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202646/https://usctrojans.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/isaiah-jewett/11497 . live.
  2. Web site: Isaiah JEWETT | Profile . June 22, 2021 . worldathletics.org . June 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203703/https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/isaiah-jewett-14623737 . live.
  3. Web site: Klein . Gary . July 30, 2021 . Isaiah Jewett embraces his inner superhero in quest to conquer Olympic 800 meters . February 18, 2024 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . October 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010154955/https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-07-30/isaiah-jewett-usa-track-and-field-tokyo-olympics-usc . live.
  4. Web site: Witter . Ryan . February 16, 2024 . Getting To Know Isaiah Jewett . February 18, 2024 . USC Athletics . en . November 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211125135704/https://usctrojans.com/news/2018/10/30/track-field-getting-to-know-isaiah-jewett . live.
  5. Web site: February 16, 2024 . Cockrell, Annelus, Constantine & Terry Win Gold At NACAC U23 Championships In Mexico . February 18, 2024 . USC Athletics . en . November 8, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191108104445/https://usctrojans.com/news/2019/7/7/track-field-cockrell-annelus-constantine-terry-win-gold-at-nacac-u23-championships-in-mexico.aspx . live.
  6. Web site: Johnson . Robert . June 12, 2021 . USC's Isaiah Jewett Holds Off Texas A&M's Brandon Miller to Win 2021 NCAA 800 Title as Both Break 1:45 . February 18, 2024 . LetsRun.com . en . November 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128153745/https://www.letsrun.com/news/2021/06/uscs-isaiah-jewett-holds-off-texas-ams-brandon-miller-to-win-2021-ncaa-800-title-as-both-break-145/ . live.
  7. USC MEN’S TOP 10 PERFORMERS
  8. Web site: Douglas . Scott . 2021 Olympic Trials - Clayton Murphy Wins Men's 800 Meters . June 22, 2021 . www.runnersworld.com . June 22, 2021 . en-US . June 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210622011025/https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a36791175/2021-olympic-trials-mens-800-meter-results/ . live.
  9. Web site: Shapiro, Michael . June 21, 2021 . USC Runner Isaiah Jewett Concerned With Essay After Qualifying For Olympics . June 21, 2021 . si.com . . June 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210622040325/https://www.si.com/olympics/2021/06/22/isaiah-jewett-qualifies-olympics-essay-submission-usc-runner . live.
  10. Web site: Graham . Pat . August 1, 2021 . No hard feelings: Amos and Jewett tangle, finish together . February 18, 2024 . AP News . en . June 12, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230612045444/https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-track-and-field-isaiah-jewett-nijel-amos-44515fecddf8c12d9f008b78414a894c . live.
  11. Web site: Dragon . Tyler . American Isaiah Jewett's act of sportsmanship after being tripped is bigger than a win . February 18, 2024 . USA TODAY . en-US . May 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230527145300/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/08/01/isaiah-jewett-nijel-amos-tripped-800-meters-olympics-sportsmanship/5446921001/ . live.
  12. Web site: Men's 800m Results: USATF Outdoor Championships 2023 . Watch Athletics . July 8, 2023 . July 7, 2023 . July 8, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230708095641/https://www.watchathletics.com/page/4368/men-s-800m-results-usatf-outdoor-championships-2023 . live.
  13. Web site: Benjamin and McLaughlin-Levrone impress in Los Angeles. World Athletics. 20 May 2024. 19 May 2024.
  14. Web site: Berg . Aimee . June 30, 2021 . USC's Isaiah Jewett takes an anime approach to the 800m . https://web.archive.org/web/20210804155552/https://pac-12.com/article/2021/07/30/uscs-isaiah-jewett-takes-anime-approach-800m . dead . August 4, 2021 . February 18, 2024 . pac-12.com . en.
  15. Web site: Meet Results - World Masters Rankings . June 22, 2020 .
  16. Web site: Heart of Screenland beats as heart, soul of Olympians | Culver City News . August 9, 2021 .