Following Success At Nationals, Michael Anderson Will Focus More On The Long Jump In The Future

At Springfield College in Massachusetts, Michael Anderson specializes in the 110-meter hurdles.

There were no hurdling events at the 2026 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor & Para National Championships. So, Anderson competed in two different events instead. 

On July 24 at Icahn Stadium in New York, the T13 athlete won the men’s long jump with a top leap of 6.13 meters. Anderson hit that mark in his fourth out of six jumps. In fact, he was the only competitor to top six meters.

According to his coach, Charles Shoffner, there will be more jumps in Anderson’s future as he turns the page on his senior season this fall.

After seeing Anderson first take off at nationals, Shoffner got a feeling something special could happen that day.

“We’re going to go fast and jump in the air and see what happens,” Shoffner said of the July 24 event. “I think his first open attempt, (I said) ‘Oh, that’s pretty impressive. We can do something today.’ After the first round of jumps, (I thought), ‘We might be able to win this.’”

Anderson did, and not only did he accomplish that goal, he hit another one in getting his name out there on the big stage. And what could be bigger than nailing an event at nationals in New York?

Anderson competed against Paralympians in top T38 competitor Nick Mayhugh, who took second, and fellow T13 athlete Tyson Gunter, who finished third. The newcomer did his best to remain calm while jumping against much more experienced athletes.

“Six jumps, I mean, obviously, you face nerves,” Anderson said. “My biggest thing was staying calm and being focused. All I have to focus on is the runway and the board.

“I have the speed and I have the initial start. I have to hit the board decently and jump high.”

He did just that, and as a visually impaired athlete, he couldn’t read the results on the scoreboard after the event. As Anderson was walking back to the warmup field, someone pulled him aside and told him he was going to have to do a post-event interview. That’s when he found out he had won.

His immediate reaction?

“I was freaking out,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. It almost hit me like a truck. I think I said to myself, ‘I just wanted to come here and put my name out there. I’d say it’s at the top of the list (of my accomplishments).”

The long jump wasn’t Anderson’s only nationals event. He made the finals of the 100-meter on July 25 and took eighth place with a time of 11.41 seconds.

“Prelims were a better day,” Shoffner said of Anderson’s sixth-place mark earlier in the day, with a time of 11.25 seconds. “That’s when he PR’d in the 100. We had a great push out of the blocks. That’s our focus this year, fixing the start. In prelims we got that down. Everything was on point.”

The final was a different story, and even Anderson admitted he got a little winded in the second half of that race. 

No matter. His relationship with Shoffner and his program at Springfield College has meant everything to him.

“Charles, his personality was so contagious,” he said, “super-funny guy and that was the main point of going to Springfield.”

It made all the difference as far as his love for track and field. To Anderson, there is nothing more addicting than the phrase, “Runners, on your marks.” Then it’s up to the athlete and his technical and mental acumen to make it happen.

Anderson, who picked up track as a speedy middle schooler, is studying athletic coaching and wellness. That’s a worthy career objective, but he’s got another big goal in mind – participating in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.

“I want to go,” he said. “I don’t have a Plan B for it. I don’t see Plan A failing. I want to represent this country. It’s every kid’s dream to go to the pro stage. Being so young going into it, I’m going to do everything in my power to get there.”

Shoffner is bullish about Anderson’s chances.

“I think 2028 is going to be the time,” he said. “This year, we pushed back his start time so he can be fresher in July of next year, a worlds year. And then of course, he won’t have to worry about college track, and we can focus on his long jump more and his 100.”

Gregg Voss is a journalist based in the Chicago suburbs who has been writing sports for newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years. He is a freelance contributor to usatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.