If not for Lori Bohan, Tufts’ most successful jumper in recent memory might never have leapt in brown and blue.
Bohan, graduating senior Gbola Ajayi’s track coach at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, had witnessed Ajayi improve tremendously over the course of his high school career and suggested that he try to run in college. She contacted head coach Ethan Barron and arranged a meeting for Ajayi, which went swimmingly.
“I think the biggest draw for me was the way coach went about trying to convince me to come out for the team,” he said. “Feeling wanted was nice.”
Or perhaps it really was in the cards for Ajayi from the outset, because his high school coach had also sent Dan Marcy (LA ’08) — a fellow jumper and, as it would turn out, economics major — to Tufts five years earlier.
Regardless of how it all transpired, Ajayi came, saw and conquered on his way to two indoor All-American honors, four All-NESCAC honors, two individual NESCAC titles and a whole slew of victories in his specialties: long jump and triple jump.
Ajayi and coach Ethan Barron forged a strong bond early on, which helped pave the way for his subsequent triumphs on the runway. In fact, Ajayi attributes much of his success to his coach and says that he has never doubted him, trusting fully in whatever Barron has asked of him.
But even for an athlete who had gotten along so well so quickly with his coach, it must have come as quite a shock to hear that he would have to learn an entirely new skill set in order to broaden his repertoire. That’s right: Gbola had never actually attempted the triple jump before he arrived at Tufts.
“I had never triple jumped before I came to college and thought coach was crazy when he suggested that that would be my best event,” Ajayi recalled. “It was my proudest moment as an athlete to stand on the podium for myself, my team and most especially for my coach who had nurtured me and been very patient with me.”
Of course, as is Ajayi’s way, he has thrived in the triple jump, earning his two All-American honors in the event — with a chance to make it three in the coming weeks.
Despite all the accolades, however, Ajayi says that he has been humbled by the experience, a testament to his desire not only to learn but also to contribute to the overall performance of the team. The collective sacrifice required in order to reach such great heights has taught him a valuable lesson about how each cog in any machine must operate in sync with its counterparts so that the machine might run smoothly.
To that end, he assumed a leadership role early on and this year spearheaded a relatively inexperienced jump crew to some solid results. Perhaps even more impressively, throughout his tenure as a leader he has embodied everything that Tufts men’s track and field stands for — along with the ability to recognize when his time has come and what he’s leaving behind.
“I think I’m leaving a legacy as a hard worker and a team leader who is an example of what trusting in the program and believing in the coach can get you,” Ajayi said. “I will miss it, but I think it’s time for me to move on and transition to other things.”
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