Janay DeLoach, the former Eielson High star who has re-engineered her takeoff substantially because of an injury and subsequent surgeries last year, on Friday finished eighth in the long jump at the world championships in Beijing, China.
DeLoach, 29, an Olympic bronze medalist in 2012, leaped 6.67 meters (21 feet, 10.75 inches), on her first of six jumps. She did not better that mark in her other five attempts, three of which were scratches.
Her teammate Tianna Bartoletta won gold by flying 23-5.25. Silver went to Great Britian's Shara Proctor (23-2.50) and Serbia's Ivana Spanovic took bronze (23-0).
DeLoach in 2014 twice underwent surgery on her left ankle. Until then, she had used her left leg as her plant, or takeoff, leg in the long jump. Following the surgeries, DeLoach transitioned to using her right leg on takeoff, an enormous change akin to a right-handed baseball hitter suddenly forced to bat left-handed in mid-career.
DeLoach squeezed into the 12-woman final in China by virtue of a qualifying jump on 21-11.
DeLoach, who graduated from Colorado State and lives in Colorado, was one of two former Alaska high school stars who competed for Team USA in the world championships, with the Olympic Games just a year away.
Former Bartlett High shot putter Jordan Clarke of Anchorage finished 13th in qualifying in Beijing, just shy of making the 12-man final.