Who is Shelby McEwen? The Mississippi native who is in contention for high jump gold medal at Paris Olympics 2024

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Aug 07, 2024 18:18 GMT

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Shelby McEwen is an American high jumper who recently qualified for the finals of the men's high jump event at the Paris Olympics 2024. This comes after the conclusion of the qualification stages on Wednesday (August 7).

Competing in Group A of the event, McEwen finished in the first position with a jump of 2.27m in his fourth attempt to qualify for his second Olympic finals. The Mississippi native also cleared the mark of 2.27m on his first attempt, a feat no other high jumper touched from Group A.

It will be a big opportunity for McEwen on Saturday (August 10) during the event finals to prove his prowess and script a remarkable turnaround compared to the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 12th in the finals.

On that note, let's explore more in detail about the 28-year-old American high jumper:

Shelby McEwen - Family and hometown

McEwen at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 (Image via: Getty)

McEwen was born in Abbeville, Mississippi on April 6, 1996, to Michael McEwen and Sharon McEwen. He is a very social and friendly individual and has varied interests in singing and fishing.

Shelby McEwen - Education

McEwen at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest (Image via: Getty Images)

McEwen completed his high school at Oxford High School and then was admitted to the University of Alabama for further education. During his tenure at the University of Alabama, McEwen competed in various collegiate events such as the SEC Championships.

Shelby McEwen - Other achievements of the track and field athlete

McEwen at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest (Image via: Getty)

McEwen had an immense love for jumping from his childhood days that led him to navigate a career in the discipline. He has competed in numerous collegiate and international tournaments across his career and has emerged victorious,

Competing for the University of Alabama, McEwen clinched two gold medals at the 2018 SEC Outdoor and Indoor Championships. Besides, he was also named to the All-American team four times in his collegiate career.

The 2024 season has been a very successful one for the 28-year-old as it saw him clinch a gold medal in the US Indoor Championships with a jump of 2.28m. He also clinched a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships (2.28m) in Glasgow, where he finished just 0.08m short of a gold medal finish.

He followed his superb form in the Xiamen Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike, where he clinched top podium finishes in both the events with jumps of 2.27m and 2.24m respectively.