McKenzie Long was the recipient of devastating news in January. Her 45-year-old mother, Tara Jones, had passed away due to a heart attack. In her own words, the college sprinter revealed that the grief caused her to “begin rejecting track” and caused her to be mad at the people who were urging her to focus on her on-court prowess. However, she did not give up and pushed on. Today, as she won three NCAA track and field championship events, her loss and her triumph caused her to earn a shoutout from Bam Adebayo himself.

A couple of days ago, a professional photographer by the name of Kane Nguyen revealed a story. He posted a picture of McKenzie during a track and field championship event, sitting in a green row of seats that were empty as far as the eye could see. Long proceeded to message the digital creator, stating that she “loves the picture” since it captured her talking to her mother. This captured the heart of Bam Adebayo, who highlighted it on his Instagram story, penning, “Big respect @kenzielong21 Picture worth 1000 words”.

The post gained prominence after McKenzie Long shone during the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship events, held at Hayward Field. She secured a win in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4×100-meter relay in less than three hours! While her father was in attendance, the young athlete felt the presence of her mother as well, to whom she dedicated her three historical wins.

“I want everybody to know her name,” said Long in a statement. “Of course, a lot of people know that my mom is gone and I lost my mom, but I want people to know she had a name and I want people to know what her name was.”

McKenzie Long highlights how her mother’s death halted and then accelerated, her track and field career

After securing the wins, McKenzie Long touched base on everything that transpired in her life post-January. Once she received the devastating news, the 23-year-old recalled being not so focused on the very sport that had been her source of excellence during her high school days in central Ohio. “There was a pivotal moment of my indoor season where I was competing a week after she passed and that was really hard on me because I began rejecting track,” said Long.

“I was mad at my coach. I was mad at my trainers. I was mad at anybody who told me to compete a week after my mom passed.” However, once she got the chance to compete in Arkansas International, she described the experience as a “game changer”. It convinced her to not continue living in grief but to use it as a motivating factor. “I’m really glad that I did it,” Long continued.

“I knew that she wouldn’t want me to stop running track.”

Long confessed the 100m race was the one in which she felt a bit less comfortable to compete. The jitters were getting to her before the race. By feeling “Mom, this is instantly you”, she described feeling her late parent’s presence as all her doubts slowly evaporated away.

By securing this triple crown, McKenzie Long has become the 7 athlete ever in women’s NCAA Outdoor Championships to achieve this feat in all three of the events. With her path shining bright, fans will just have to wait and see what the future holds for her.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.