Former Saddleback star wins bronze in Tokyo

The Saddleback track & field program was back in the news on Wednesday when a former star captured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Wednesday.  Trenten Merrill was a part of the Saddleback program in 2011.

Merrill had a sensational jump of 7.08 meters on his fourth jump on Wednesday in Tokyo, finishing 0.04 meters in front of Greece's Stylianos Malakopoulos in the T64 Finals.  It tied a personal best for Merrill in major competitions and avenged a fourth place finish in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.  Merrill had previously set an American record in 2018 when he jumped 7.08 meters, and also captured the Gold Medal at the 2019 Parapan Games.

Merrill competed for Saddleback in 2011 in both the long jump and sprints.

Merrill was struck by a car in 2005 when riding his bike in San Juan Capistrano, losing his right foot.   He later competed for Saddleback with a prosthetic leg before competing for Azusa Pacific University.