Former West Los Angeles College sprinter Jordon Smith now competes for the Oklahoma State track and field team. Last season, the All-American helped the West L.A. men’s 4x400m relay team earn the Western State Conference title and won the 400m title.
He qualified for the California State Meet in the 400m, 200m, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. Smith runs anchor for the 4x100m and the second leg in the 4x400m.
His best performance at the State meet was the 400m where he placed second.
“It taught me that I should appreciate the things, the people I’m around and appreciate my coaches,” Smith said. “The execution, it was good but it was not great, I was prepping myself for the state circuit.”
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Smith noted how the men’s track team did not take a lot of risks, he also noted how the roster during the 2023 was better than that of 2022.
“We couldn’t experiment as much as we wanted to,” Smith said. “We didn’t do too good at State but I guess we did better than last year.”
During the 2022 season, Smith was recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out for most of the season.
“This season, I did a lot of speed work, it helped with my 400m,” he said. “Think that I improved a lot.”
Another improvement that Smith made was in having confidence in his own abilities. He decided that he had to believe in himself. The practices sessions that the track teams have in the fall also help the team with their endurance when the season starts.
“During the fall we do a lot of hills and we do a lot of running, it takes a lot from your body,” Smith said. “That helps when the conference comes.”
