WAUKEE, Iowa — It’s a moment that sent the Drake Relays crowd into a frenzy, and opened the eyes of track fans in our state, and around the country. Waukee sophomore Ajak Malual clears seven feet, becoming just the 13th Iowa high schooler ever to do so, and earning a Drake Relays title.
“It just felt wonderful,” said Malual. “Winning in front of my teammates, knowing that’s what Ashman wanted me to do, I wanted to do it. It was just amazing, an amazing feeling.”
“I knew he was ready,” said George Ashman, assistant coach for the Waukee track team, who works closely with Malual. “We did some things just before Drake on Wednesday. I put 6’10’ up there and had him look at it. He kept going, ‘I’m going to jump it,’ and I said, ‘ Tomorrow you’re going to jump it.’ I just made him look at it and try to make him a little hungry for it that way. He’s just so fun to work with because he wants to do it so much.”…