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Juriad Hughes Jr. is making the most of his time this summer between his junior and senior track and field seasons at Irondale. Since the Minnesota State Track and Field Championships, Hughes. Jr. has finished 1st in the long jump at Nike Outdoor Nationals, finished 2nd in the long jump at the USATF U20 Championships, and won the Pan American U20 Championships long jump title.
His most recent title at the Pan American U20 Championships came against the premier under-20 talent of North, Central, and South America. His jump of 24' 11.75" in the long jump was able to beat out the 2nd place mark of 24' 6.5" by Jamaica's Royan Walters.
2023 Pan American U20 Championships - Long Jump Results
| Place | Athlete | Country | Mark |
| 1 | Juriad Hughes Jr. | USA | 24' 11.75" |
| 2 | Royan Walters | Jamaica | 24' 6.5" |
| 3 | Ashton Torns | USA | 24' 3" |
| 4 | Demario Prince | Jamaica | 24' 1" |
| 5 | Mateo Smith | Bahamas | 23' 11.5" |
| 6 | Khybah Dawson | British Virgin Islands | 23' 7.5" |
| 7 | Diego Bustamante Bastias | Chile | 22' 9" |
| 8 | Stephan Farqharson | Bahamas | 22' 7.25" |
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With his jump of 24' 11.75", Hughes Jr. broke his own Minnesota state long jump record. He had previously jumped 24' 11" three times this year (Indoor+Outdoor).
All-Time Minnesota State Long Jump Marks
| Place | Athlete | Mark | Year |
| 1 | Juriad Hughes Jr. | 24' 11.75" | 2023 |
| 2 | Von Shepard | 24' 9.25" | 1982 |
| 3 | B.J Otto | 24' 8.75" | 2007 |
| 4 | Leonard Jones | 24' 4.74" | 1990 |
| T-5 | Dave Eiland | 24' 3" | 1975 |
| T-5 | Tyrone Minor | 24' 3" | 1989 |
Overall, Hughes Jr. was one of the 18 gold medalists from the United States at the meet, with Canada winning 5 golds and five other countries having a single gold medalist.
Hughes Jr. will be a senior at Irondale High School this fall. He will still have one more track and field season left to cement himself as a Minnesota track and field legend.
