| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1983-01-30)January 30, 1983 (age 43) |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | Long jump |
| Coached by | Kareem Streete-Thompson[1] |
| Retired | 2015 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | Long jump: 8.21 m (2012) |
| Updated on 6 April 2021 | |
George Kitchens (born January 30, 1983) is an Americantrack and field athlete who competes in thelong jump. He has a personal record of 8.23 meters (27 ft 0 in) for the event and was a member of theUnited States 2012 Olympics team. He was the American national champion in 2013 and represented his country at the2013 World Championships in Athletics.
Kitchens was raised inHephzibah, Georgia. While attendingGlenn Hills High School inAugusta, Georgia, he won the long jump at the 2001 national high school championships. He went on to study atClemson University and competed for theClemson Tigers track team. In his second year at the institution he earnedAll-America honours at theNCAA Outdoor Championships, was the NCAA East Regional champion, and competed at the2003 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He cleared a personal record of 7.89 meters at the Georgia Tech Invitational meet in June 2003. Kitchens earned NCAA Outdoor and Indoor All-America honours in his final year, and also managed to finish runner-up at the NCAA East Regionals after winning theAtlantic Coast Conference outdoor long jump title.[2]
Kitchens ranked top ten in the long jump at both the American indoor and outdoor championships in his first year as a professional in 2006. He competed sparingly in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He re-emerged in 2009 with a fourth-place finish at theUSA Indoor Track and Field Championships,[3] followed by a podium finish at theUSA Outdoors, taking third with a mark of 8.23 m. Typically this would have gained him a spot for the World Championships squad, but because the mark was wind-aided and he did not possess the "A" qualifying standard, he did not get called up.[4] He began to compete in Europe for the first time that year and set a new best of 7.98 m at a meeting inSalamanca, Spain.[5] He failed to build on this in 2010 and he finished out of the top ten at theUSA Outdoors with his season's best mark of 7.64 m.[3]
He started the 2012 season strongly at theGeorgia Relays, winning with a wind-assisted jump of 8.27 m and setting a wind-legal personal record of 8.14 m.[6] He placed third at theColorful Daegu Meeting and theAdidas Grand Prix meet inNew York City.[3] He earned his first ever national selection at the2012 United States Olympic Trials, where his personal best clearance of 8.21 m was enough for third place in the long jump.[4] He failed to match this form at the2012 Summer Olympics, clearing only 6.84 m in the qualifying round to finish 39th overall.[7]
The following year he won his first and only national title at the2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, recording a wind-assisted mark of 8.23 m. He set his season's best two weeks later inChula Vista with a winning jump of 8.17 m. He again failed to take his form into international competition and was eliminated in the qualifying at the2013 World Championships in Athletics with a jump of 7.75 m. After making a limited number of appearances in 2014 and 2015, he retired from competitive athletics.[7]
Following his retirement Kitchens was arrested for aggravated assault and gun threats against his mother and sister in June 2016, after making demands for money. Kitchens had suffered violence as a child including being shot in the chest and arm at the age of 12 in an attack in which his sister was also paralyzed.[8][9]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 39th (q) | Long jump | 6.84 m | |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 20th (q) | Long jump | 7.75 m |
