From Jumping In The 30s To Over 50 Feet, Lake Washington WA Senior Has Emerged Into One Of High School's Top Triple Jumpers

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Victah Sailer photo

Yevhen Zhmailo didn’t just break through this past year — he leapt into rare air.

The GLS Speed Track club senior from Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Wash., has emerged as one of the nation’s top high school jumper - currently ranked US#2 in the triple jump (51-6.25) and US#3 in long jump (24-2.25).

Zhmaailo captured a national title at Nike Outdoor Nationals in 2025, pushing past one of the sport’s most iconic benchmarks: 50 feet in the triple jump.

For Zhmailo, the moment was equal parts validation and motivation.

“Winning Nike Outdoors was crazy,” Zhmailo said. “It showed me that I can jump far — and that I will.”

That belief didn’t come overnight. Just a few years ago, Zhmailo was still new to the sport and discovering where his athletic ceiling might be.

As a freshman, he focused primarily on long jump and sprints, with early triple jump marks hovering in the mid-to-high 30s. The raw tools were there, but the event was still unfamiliar, and the results didn’t yet reflect his potential.

When GLS Speed jumps coach Alanna Coker first noticed him at indoor meets in Spokane, she remembers sensing something special, even if it wasn’t obvious on paper.

“They actually mismeasured one of his jumps,” Coker said. “It was his jump, and I pointed it out. That’s when I thought, ‘This kid can actually jump.’”

Then came rapid growth: physically, technically, and mentally.

By his sophomore year, Zhmailo had jumped 47-feet and won a state title. Within another season, he was knocking on the door of 50-feet,  a mark that often separates elite high school jumpers from the rest of the field.

“At first, 50-feet felt like a barrier,” Zhmailo said. “But once I went over it, it didn’t feel like a barrier anymore. I knew there was more.”

Training, Coaching, and the GLS Impact

That “more” arrived quickly after Zhmailo joined GLS Speed - founded in 2021 by former Oregon track and field athlete Tatum Taylor - and began working closely with Coker. Unlike many prep athletes, he already had experience in the triple jump — a rarity at the high school level. Zhmailo said he was inspired to start jumping from his dad, who excelled in the craft growing up.

“He’s actually the first kid I’ve coached who already had triple jump ability before coming to me,” Coker said. “Usually I’m teaching athletes from scratch. With Yevhen, the foundation was already there. It was about refining it.”

That refinement came through an intense focus on speed, precision and control.

“For him, it was really about speed and learning to control his body,” Coker said. “And honestly, just getting on the board consistently. That was the biggest thing.”

Zhmailo felt the impact almost immediately.

“When I was jumping 50 feet, other coaches couldn’t really see what was wrong,” he said. “But Alanna could see mistakes in my run-up and technique right away. In two weeks, we fixed things — and I jumped over 52.”

Coker, a former standout prep triple jumper in Washington and a two-time NCAA qualifier at Sacramento State and the University of Washington, describes herself as detail-oriented — something Zhmailo quickly learned to embrace.

“I’m a bit of a perfectionist,” she said. “I look at everything: arms, posture, takeoff. With him, we added more drills and less just jumping over and over, and that made a big difference.”

Zhmailo sees the triple jump as a balance of speed, rhythm, and patience, very different from the long jump, where raw runway velocity often dominates. Zhmailo is also a highlight reel on social media with his dunks and other exercises - things he does to work on his vertical.

“Long jump is about using speed to go far,” he said. “Triple jump is more technical. You have to be bouncy, get your knees up, and stay patient through each phase.”

That patience paid off this indoor season. After honing his speed and dropping his 60 meters time from 7.3 to 6.97 seconds, Zhmailo opened the year with a dominant showing at the Spokane Preview on Jan. 9 and 10, winning both the triple jump (51-6.50) and long jump (24-2.25). Despite fouling a potential 53-footer, Coker was encouraged.

“He’s way ahead of where we thought he’d be this early,” she said. “Even with just one fair jump, you could see the potential. That’s only going to motivate him more.”

This weekend, Jan. 23-25, Zhmailo and GLS will compete at the Spokane High School Invite at The Podium Powered by STCU.

Confidence, Competitive Identity, and What's Next

More than medals or marks, Zhmailo says confidence has been the biggest change.

“When I jumped over 50-feet, I started taking track more seriously,” he said. “I realized this is something I can really do.”

Coker noticed the shift immediately after his national-title performance when he soared 52-01.

“When he hit 52, something unlocked,” she said. “It was like, ‘Okay. Now what else?’ From there, his goals just kept getting bigger. Some people might think they’re unrealistic, but I’ll never doubt him.”

That drive, Coker believes, comes from within.

“He’s extremely competitive with himself,” she said. “He studies the event. He’ll text me saying he’s watching film of professional jumpers. Not a lot of teenagers do that.”

She’s also watched him mature quickly — not just as an athlete, but as a teammate.

“When he first joined the group, he was still figuring things out,” she said. “But the team really embraced him. That sense of community matters. He is a little quiet, but extremely funny. Once you get to know him and when he opens up, he's, you know, just a typical teenage boy, but a lot of personality and very fun to be around. He's just a magnetic person.”

Next up is college, where Zhmailo will continue his career at the University of Oklahoma, one of the nation’s premier jump programs.

“I’m excited to see what my limit is,” Zhmailo said. “The coaches are professional, the training is high-level, it’s a really good jump school.”

As for what that limit might be, Coker doesn’t put a number on it. The national high school indoor triple jump record of 52-07.5 set in 1988 by Keith Holley still stands, but is no longer unthinkable.

“I don’t think there’s a ceiling for him,” she said. “Whatever he wants to achieve, he truly can.”

For younger athletes watching, especially those still finding their footing in the sport, Zhmailo hopes his journey offers perspective.

“Believe in yourself and don’t give up,” he said. “I was jumping in the 30s. Now I’m here. If you believe and keep working, anything can happen.”