Junior Matayah Yellow Mule recently broke the 13-year-old school record in long jump.

By Delaney Kost and Karoline Riisnaes

Matayah Yellow Mule, a junior at Central, long jumped 18’ 11” at Track-O-Rama, breaking the 13-year-old school record. The previous record was set by state champion Jasmyne King at 18’ 10.75”.

Yellow Mule tells us that she has been striving to meet this record all year. “I train for track all year. I also participate in volleyball in the fall and gymnastics in the winter,” says Yellow Mule. With all this anticipation and hopes of beating this record, she claims, “I felt super happy and grateful, yet in so much shock I could not believe this had happened.”

Yellow Mule is not like your typical jumper. She excels in numerous track events. She won the triple jump at South Dakota’s largest meet, Howard Wood Dakota relays, this year. She was also running the 100, 200, and 400-meter dash. Being Central’s top-track-athlete, Yellow Mule helps carry Rapid City Central in the relays and points received from jumps.

While looking at the Central Record Book, Yellow Mule’s name appears several times. She is 7th in the 100 meters, 13th in the 200 meters, 2nd in the triple jump, and 4th in the high jump.

Yellow Mule has high hopes for the upcoming state track meet and next year. Aside from the general improvement in all events, she hopes to break 19 feet in the long jump and beat the Central’s triple jump record.

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