Bradshaw wins state title in high jump

For the first time in the history of the Norwood R-I School District, a track and field athlete has won an individual state championship.
Senior Gunner Bradshaw won the Class 1 state championship in the high jump event on Friday, May 23.
Bradshaw did not miss a clearing through 6’5”. Then after looking at film of his jump, some friends told him that if the current kid attempting to clear the bar misses his jump, then he would be state champion.
“I saw the bar fall,” Bradshaw noted.
With the state championship won, he set his sites on clearing 6’.75” for a new personal record. He unfortunately hit the bar in all three of his attempts, but he was already a state champion.
“It means a lot, being from a small school with no track, not a (long time) experienced coach for a team with not a long track history. It’s great to put us on the map and be one of the first. I’m real proud of that.”
Bradshaw, who only started doing the high jump a year ago, mostly practices the event at meets as Norwood does not have high jump equipment.
He did add that in the last two weeks, he went to Mountain Grove nearly every day and that really helped him in the postseason.
He also enjoyed ascending to the top of the medal stand to receive his All-State medal.
“I looked around and could see a bunch of people I know,” he said. “Just being up there to show them who I am, to represent Norwood and where I came from, it was pretty cool.”
Bradshaw will be competing with Drury University next year in the high jump event.
As for the Lady Pirates’, their lone competitor, Jayden Chambers, brought home two All-State medals. She was third in the 1,600 meters with her time of 5:25.23.
After having the fourth fastest time in the preliminaries at 1:00.39 in the 400 meters, she earned an All-State medal with a sixth place finish in the finals after her time of 1:02.68.