Update: Later on Friday, Boling also broke his own school record for the 200 meters at 20.37 seconds, which is the fastest time in the world so far this year.
Another day for Matthew Boling in a UGA uniform, another day the track star turns heads.
What’s the latest accomplishment for the Bulldogs sophomore? Boling broke the school record of NFL Hall of Famer Champ Bailey in the long jump with a mark of 26-5.75 feet at Friday’s SEC Indoor Track and Field championships.
Some Georgia fans may only vaguely remember that Bailey, who starred for UGA in football from 1996-1998, was also an accomplished member of the school’s track team. In fact, Bailey set the then-SEC indoor long jump record at the 1998 conference championship meet at 25.88 feet.
Bailey’s SEC record was bested years ago, and Boling’s new UGA record on Friday was only good enough for fourth place at the SEC meet.
However, it still was an amazing accomplishment for Boling, considering he’s reached celebrity status as a sprinter. Last month, the Olympic hopeful had the fastest NCAA time this year in the 400 meters at 45.51 seconds.
Back to Bailey: While some UGA fans still hold out hope that Boling will somehow give football a look before he leaves college … the truth is that Boling has the potential to become just as accomplished in track as Bailey was in football.
