Oklahoman Vernon Turner Breaks NFHS High Jump Record At 7-6


Vernon Turner was imperceptibly close to achieving the impossible. 

Perhaps only a slight nick from his heel -- or a whiff of air -- was the undoing on his record setting attempt to clear 7 feet, 7.25 inches on Friday in the high jump in Oklahoma. 

He didn't clear it. 

But what Turner, a University of Oklahoma signee, did do was clear was the next best thing: 7-6. 

His 2.28 meter jump would stand as the second best in the world right now IAAF competition. 

The Yukon senior went 7-6 to break the NFHS record of 7-5.75, achieved by Kansas City Grandview (MO) High's James White in 2009, and became just the third high school athlete to high jump 7-6 or greater. 

Only Brenham (Tx.) High's Andra Mason, who holds the national record mark of 7-7 -- which he accomplished in 2002 at a meet in Jamaica -- stands in Turner's way of making history.