49ers' Goodwin fully committed to Tokyo bid

ByNick Wagoner ESPN logo
Tuesday, June 11, 2019

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said he has "100 percent interest" in competing in his second summer Olympics eight years after he competed the first time.

Following Tuesday's minicamp practice, Goodwin was clear when asked if he was aiming to compete in the long jump at the Tokyo Games next year. He went on to emphasize that preparing for the long jump offers similar training to playing football and that his pursuit of another Olympic appearance would not affect his offseason preparation for football.

"It's just (the) offseason, the same way I did it in high school, college, NFL -- just make it happen," Goodwin said. "It's all on my off time, so like I say, I use it as part of my training. What I do in long jump and track and field definitely correlates with what I do as a receiver.

"Being fast, being explosive, putting my foot down, it's the same mechanics that I use in football and track. They go hand in hand with each other. At least with my position."

Goodwin finished 10th in the long jump at the 2012 London Games after becoming the first college athlete to win the U.S. Olympic trials since 1960. But he did not qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro after finishing seventh in the U.S. trials. That disappointing finish came as he dealt with a hamstring injury, leaving Goodwin with what he has previously described as unfinished business.

The 2020 U.S. Olympic team trials are scheduled for June 19-28, 2020, in Eugene, Oregon. To make Tokyo, Goodwin needs to jump a qualifying distance to qualify for the U.S. trials, and then at the trials, he would need to jump 26 feet, 11 inches and finish in the top three to make the U.S. team.

"You have to actually qualify to get to the qualifying meet," Goodwin said. "Just jump in a meet somewhere or beg USATF to let me in a meet somewhere."

The window for Goodwin to hit that mark in a meet is open now and runs through June 29, 2020.

Should Goodwin earn a spot at the trials, he would likely need to miss most, if not all, of the offseason program. Past that, if he earned a spot on Team USA, he would have to miss at least the opening portion of training camp.

In 2016, Goodwin chased his Olympic dream while still with the Buffalo Bills, who gave him their support. He did not have to participate in the team's mandatory June minicamp and then rejoined the team for training camp.

Things would be different, though, if Goodwin were able to qualify for the Olympics. The 49ers generally begin training camp in late July, and the Tokyo Games are scheduled for July 24 through Aug. 9.

On April 9, Goodwin tweeted that his goal for 2020 goes beyond simply making the team.

"I'm going to win the 2020 Olympics in Long jump! ... idk how, but I am," he tweeted.

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