Spectators were banned from the Tokyo Olympics, but Marion native Darryl Sullivan had major support from afar as his hometown held a watch party for him.
The Marion Republican reported that more than 200 people filled into the Marion Cultural and Civic Center on July 29 to root for the 23-year-old Sullivan in the preliminary round of the high jump.
Sullivan, a University of Tennessee alum, registered a 7’1″ clear but did not qualify for the finals.
Among the attendees at the watch party was Marion High School Athletic Director Ryan Goodisky, who told the Southern Illinoisan that it was easy to draw a crowd.
“Our social media sites have pretty good reach, but let’s just be honest, Darryl is a big deal,” Goodisky told the publication. “He’s a hometown hero these days so it’s pretty easy to get the word out about certain folks, and Darryl’s one of the easiest.”
Sullivan punched his ticket to Tokyo by placing second at the Olympic trials with a jump of 7 feet, and 7 feet- 3/4 inches.
But according to WSIL, Sullivan isn’t just content with being an Olympian.
“From my perspective, being an Olympian means a lot but I want more for myself so on top of that I want to finish on top of that podium and I want to become one of the greatest high jumpers in history,” he told the station. “So in order to do that, making Olympic appearances and getting on to the podium is something that needs to be done, but further, being an Olympian means so much to be able to continue to do this post collegiately and to be able to compete with the best in the world.”
