Jopp’s track and field career at Lafayette came full-circle this past weekend as he placed first in the same Decathlon that he placed 11th in his freshman year. (Photo courtesy of GoLeopards)

With a total score of 5,814, senior Oscar Jopp of the track and field team outperformed the second-place finisher at the Mondschein Multi by nearly 600 points. Jopp’s string play at the event meant he could have sat out for the final 1,500-meter run and still would have been victorious. 

Jopp, who hails from Baldock, England, is an experienced competitor. At Hills Road Sixth Form College Cambridge, Jopp ranked among the top athletes in the U.K. across multiple track and field events. He’s been participating in multi-events since 2014 when he won the U15 East of England Pentathlon. 

Events in this multi-event included the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500.

“The Multi events are scored using a formula for each event that rewards more points for faster times in the running events and bigger distances in the throws and jumps,” Jopp explained in an email. “In order to maximize my score, I need to perform my best in each of the ten events over two days. Mentally I have to go in to the event ready to perform my best over and over again.”

With the number of disciplines involved in a decathlon, it is often described as the hardest Olympic event. 

“The toughest part of the decathlon is the physical demands of the events over two days…Not only do they require different physical qualities, they require them when you’re already tired,” Jopp wrote.

At the Mondschein Multis, Jopp won the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.23, adding 707 points to his total. He also won the discus with a mark of 101′ 8” for 484 points. Finally, he tied for first in the pole vault with a mark of 12′ 7^1/2″ for 576 more points.

In the 400-meter run, Jopp added 661 points to his total by finishing in a time of 53.49 and coming in second place. He also came in second in the javelin, with a mark of 143′ 0″, for 494 points. 

Jopp placed third in both the shot put and the high jump, posting marks of 34′ 6^1/4″ and 5′ 8^1/2″ respectively, for 1094 total points. 

In the 100-meter dash, Jopp’s time of 11.85 landed him a fourth-place finish (681 points) while his long jump performance earned him 617 points, as he finished in fourth (20′ 1^3/4″).

Finally, in the 1,500-meter run, Jopp finished fourth (5:10.68) to add the final 500 points to his meet win.

It was a full-circle moment for the Lafayette veteran, who participated in the Mondschein Multi decathlon as a freshman in 2019 and took 11th place.

After four long years, this season will be the closing curtain to Jopp’s career as a Leopard. 

“This is my last season with Lafayette. I’ve enjoyed my time on the team and learned heaps from my coaches and teammates,” Jopp reflected. “I’m leaving the team in a better place than when I got here and am excited to see what the team can accomplish in the future.”

Track and Field will be traveling to Lewisburg, Pa. this weekend for the Bucknell Team Challenge. The end of the season culminates in Annapolis, Md. when the Leopards will travel to Navy for the Patriot League Championships on May 6-7. 

Correction 4/25/2022: A previous version of this story included quotes that were paraphrased and have since been updated to be more accurate.