Nathan Morgan – Long Jump

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Nathan showed his promise when winning the AAA under-17 title in 1996 and made rapid progress in his three years as a junior international. In 1995 he was 2nd in the AAA U20 Championships both indoors and out, and in 1996 after a pb 7.58 in June made a massive improvement to 7.97w to win the English Schools title. He followed that with the AAA Junior title at 7.65 and then jumped 7.74 for the bronze medal at the World Juniors. In 1998 he looked a real threat to world class when placing third at the European Cup and jumping over 8 metres at three competitions, up to his 8.11 to win the AAA title. Sadly he was then struck by injury, struggled at the Europeans, and had to withdraw from World Cup and Commonwealth Games teams.

In 1999 he set sprint bests indoors and out and long jumped 7.98 in Birmingham at the end of June. Then came further evidence of his big-meeting ability with the bronze medal at the European Under-23s at 7.99, but injury held him back in Seville, where he could manage only 7.31. When fit he jumped consistently in 2000, with bests of 8.00 and 8.05w, but was not quite able to make the Olympic qualifying standard. He had encouraging late-season wins: 7.90 in the A international v France and 8.00 in the U23 international against Spain. He was frustratingly operating just below 8m in 2001, when his best was 7.97, but rose to the challenge from his rivals in 2002 for 2nd at Loughborough with 8.11w and a win at Riga in 8.17w, backed by a 'legal' 8.06. Despite a heel injury, which later kept him out of the European Championships team, he took the Commonwealth gold medal with 8.02.

He was just a centimetre short of his best ever indoors when 2nd at in the international in Glasgow in 2003 in 7.82 and was 3rd at the AAA Indoors. Outdoors he produced the jump of his life with 8.26/+1.2, just a centimetre short of the British record, to win at Hamburg in July, but then injured his hamstring and this hampered his preparation for the World Championships, where his 7.83 was not enough to qualify for the final.

He had surgery in October 2003 and made a fine return in 2004, with three competitions at 8m or more, topped with 8.04. He started 2005 with 7.78, just 5cm short of his five year-old indoor best, and despite a bruised heel soared to 7.96 on his one jump to win his first AAA Indoor title. He won with 8.00 at Geneva in his first outdoor competition of the year and was unlucky with his first jump in the European Cup, well over 8m from a narrow no-jump, but followed with two more no-jumps before a final 7.30 from well behind the board and did not compete again.

He had a good 2006 indoor season as he won the long jump with 8.05 at the Norwich Union International in Glasgow and was close to that with 8.02 for 2nd at the Birmingham GP, but, having declined selection for the Commonwealth Games to concentrate on the World Indoors, did not make the requisite qualifying standard of 8.10 for that meeting. He started the summer season with 8.00 for 2nd in the British GP at Gateshead and was 3rd at the AAAs with 7.84. He qualified for the European final with 7.94 but then managed only 7.65.

He had sprint bests of 10.48w and 21.1w in June 2007 and the next month long jumped 8.05w/8.00 and was 2nd in the UK Championships.

Nathan is trained by Ted King.

April 2008