Mt. Edgecumbe’s Colton Paul. Photo by Stephanie Goon/Goon Gallery
Colton Paul stole the show at this year’s Native Youth Olympics.
The Mt. Edgecumbe High School senior collected seven medals, broke a world record and won the Autumn Ridley Outstanding Male Athlete Award as the leading scorer.
His 32 individual points were more than the total of the entire third-place team.
“I have never heard of an athlete scoring as many points as Colton did,” said longtime Mt. Edgecumbe teacher and coach Archie Young. “His performance from start to finish was incredible.”
Paul set a world record in the scissor broad jump with a mark of 38 feet, 7 inches to beat the previous mark of 37-5 set in 2016 by Nick Hanson at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.
Wanna see a world record?
Colton Paul smashing the old world record of 37'5" jumping 38"7" 🤯 #NYO2023 pic.twitter.com/iI0PKz1wTW
— Austin Sjong (@SjongAustin) April 21, 2023
Hanson went on to star on the ‘American Ninja Warrior’ TV show.
Paul also tied the world record in the two-foot high kick, matching Brian Randazzo Jr.’s mark of 101 inches set in 2011.
Paul narrowly missed records in the Alaska high kick and kneel jump.
In the Alaskan high kick, he booted the sealskin ball at 93 inches but failed to land it properly. He did win the event at 92.
In the kneel jump, he posted a mark of 66.75 inches, just missing the record of 67.
His overall haul included five gold medals at the Alaska Airlines Center. He also won the one-foot high kick, finished second in the one-hand reach and was third in the seal hop.
Colton Paul. Photo by Stephanie Goon/Goon Gallery