By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After spending the past two years as an assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, Bahamian national triple jump record holder Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands is closer to home as an assistant coach with the Florida State University Seminoles track and field programme.

The Tallahassee, Florida, based National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division one school made the announcement on Wednesday as Sands, along with throws coach Doug Reynolds, was named as one of two new assistant coaches, while the Seminoles promoted Alex Midgett as the women’s assistant cross country and distance coach after serving as the operations assistant.

Bob Braman, head coach for both the FSU men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programmes, recognised Sands for his phenomenal career as a triple jumper as he welcomed him to the Seminoles.

“Leevan is one of the most talented young jump coaches in the country,” Braman said. “He’s been one of the world’s best triple jumpers for a generation, having made four Olympic teams.”

Sands, who turned 40 on August 16, joins the FSU track and field programme after previously serving as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Northern Colorado for two years. “Leevan had an immediate impact at Northern Colorado,” Braman added. “He will be a great coach for our talented jumps programme.”

Before turning to coaching, the flamboyant Sands enjoyed a 13-year professional career that was highlighted by winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in the triple jump for the Bahamas.

Currently the chief executive officer (CEO) of Sands Pro Apparel for four years and co-owner of Sno Bix and Sand Pit Snacks, Sands thanked Braman for the opportunity to continue his coaching career at such a prestigious organisation.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be a part of such an amazing track and field programme,” Sands said. “FSU has a great history of cultivating top athletes and my goal is to continue this tradition. Thank you to coach Braman and staff for this outstanding opportunity.”

A four-time Olympian and 12-time Bahamas national champion, Sands holds the Bahamian national record in the triple jump at 57-feet, 8 ½-imches or 17.59 metres for outdoor and the long jump at 26-7 (8.10m) indoors.

Sands, who served as the athletes’ representative in the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations in 2008 and helped to mentor a number of athletes, was also a volunteer assistant at Auburn High School in Opelika, Alabama.

That two-year stint where he helped produce two state champions in addition to the No. 3 triple jumper in the country, came after Sands completed his historic two-year tenure as the top triple jumper at Auburn where Bahamian Henry Rolle was an assistant coach.

Sands graduated from Auburn University in 2005 with a degree in adult education. He was the 2003 NCAA long jump champion and the NCAA triple jump champion in 2004. In 2004, he was named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year. Prior to his collegiate career, Sands was the Gatorade Athlete of the Year after winning gold in the long, triple, and high jump at the High School National Championships in 1999. He was also the indoor high school champ in the long and triple jump where he set the record in the triple jump (52’8”).

The former two-sport star in basketball and track and field at Temple Christian Academy went on to the Florida Air Force Academy where he continued to flourish before he began competing for the Tigers at Auburn.

At 6-feet, 3-inches, Sands’ accolades as an athlete stretches across the long/triple jump pit where he’s been successful in capturing a medal for the Bahamas at every major international competition from the junior to the senior ranks.

Starting out as the Carifta Games’ Under-17 triple jump bronze medalist in 1997 in Bridgetown, Barbados. After winning both the bronze in the two horizontal jumps in the under-20 division at the games in Trinidad & Tobago in 1998, he came back and pulled off the double gold medal feats in Martinique in 1999 and Grenada in 2000.

At the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Championships, Sands achieved the triple jump gold and long jump silver in the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico in 1998 and 2000.

Moving onto the collegiate ranks, Sands emerged as the NCAA Championship’s bronze medalist in the triple in 2015 in Costa Rica.

His senior international career took flight in 2015 when he captured the triple jump gold in Grenada in 2003, He picked up another gold in the long jump here at home at the championships in 2005 where he had to settle for the bronze in the triple jump. In 2008 in Cali, Colombia, he redeemed himself by winning the gold in the triple jump.

In addition to winning the bronze medal in the triple jump at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008, Sands also ascended the podium as the bronze medalist in the triple jump at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England in 2002 and the World Championships in Paris, France in 2003,

He also picked up a silver medal in the triple jump at the Pan American Games in 2015 in Toronto, Canada.

Married to Danielle, Sands Jr is the proud father of three boys, Leevan III, Lion and Legend Sands. His parents are former Superintendent of Police Elaine Sands and the late Leevan ‘Dragon’ Sands Sr, who passed away in 2020.

One of Sands’ three siblings, Bria, is following in his footsteps as a female triple jumper. She completed her tenure as Running Eagles at Life University as the Mid-South Conference’s 2021 Athlete of the Year. His other sister is Vandia and brother is D’Angelo.