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PLEASANT HILL, Calif. (BVM) — Marcus Gelpi is a track star, but he鈥檚 not not your typical track star. He didn’t grow up running track. In fact, Gelpi wasn’t really interested in sports at all growing up until his junior year of high school. But when he walked onto that track, everything changed for him.聽

Gelpi joined the basketball team at Dixon High School in Dixon, California because he’d been playing pick up games at the park and thought he might as well try it.聽

Soon, Gelpi realized he had some hops.

鈥淚 was playing basketball and realized I can jump a little bit,鈥� Gelpi said. 鈥淚 liked to dunk the ball and stuff like that so I joined track.”

That spring, Gelpi walked onto the track hoping to see how far (or high) his talents would take him.聽

Gelpi鈥檚 older brother had been quite successful in high jump at Dixon High and went on to compete for Fresno State in college. Gelpi wanted to forge his own path, though, and decided to go out for long jump instead.

鈥淚 didn’t want to be in his shadow,鈥� Gelpi said of his older brother.聽

But soon he learned that long jump was not his strong suit, and decided to take a shot at high jump.聽

鈥淚 ended up jumping 6鈥�2 and I was like 鈥極K, I think I can stick to this,鈥欌�� Gelpi said.聽

And stick to it he did. At the end of his first high school season Gelpi was jumping 6鈥�6, an astounding accomplishment for any high school track athlete, but especially for someone who had just started.

Not only that, but Gelpi was basically coaching himself that year in his new event.

鈥淚n high school, I never had a high jump coach so I was pretty much just going out there and jumping while doing sprinter workouts,鈥� Gelpi said.聽

Gelpi was flying high. His senior year was coming up and he was ready to continue dominating high jump. But then Covid-19 hit and his senior track season was gone.聽

鈥淢y plan was to practice my senior year but all the tracks closed down,鈥� Gelpi said. 鈥淭he ones that weren鈥檛 closed down due to Covid didn’t have the stuff I needed to practice out [on the track] like the high jump pit or stuff like that so I basically did weights and exercises like that my whole senior year until finally I found somewhere to jump.鈥�

But the Covid lockdowns couldn’t stop Gelpi and he continued to work hard toward his goals. Senior year came and went and Gelpi had no senior track season. After he graduated in June of 2020, he only had one year of competing in track and field under his belt. He knew he needed to keep competing because it had become his passion. So Gelpi did just that.

Since his father was born in Puerto Rico, Gelpi chose to compete for the Puerto Rican national team. He easily qualified for the team with his incredible jumps and quickly started to improve.聽 In May of 2021, he finally jumped over 7 feet.聽

In the fall of 2021, Gelpi began to attend Diablo Valley Community College. His freshman track season began in the spring of 2022. This is where Gelpi began to really shine.

In his freshman college track season, Gelpi won two major Division I meets, where some of the best college athletes go to compete. Gelpi won the Stanford Invitational with a 7鈥�1鈥� jump and the Mt. Sac Relays with a 7鈥� 0.64鈥� jump. He was the first junior college athlete to ever win both at both of these meets, leading to a huge number of doors being opened for him.

鈥淚 got to meet so many great people, so many Olympians, gold medalists and everything [at the Mt. Sac Relays],鈥� Gelpi said.聽

After his incredible success, Division I schools across the U.S. began to reach out to him, hoping an incredible athlete like Gelpi would join their team.聽

鈥淚’ve had quite a few schools I’ve been talking back and forth with and really, what it comes down to is finding a home for me, a coach I like [and] a surrounding city that I like,鈥� Gelpi said.聽

Through it all though, Gelpi continues to have fun, putting no pressure on himself, and taking no pressure from anyone else.聽

鈥淚’m just enjoying it,鈥� Gelpi said. 鈥淭here’s pressure that’s being added and people are trying to add pressure but I’m just having fun with what I do, win or lose.鈥�

This low pressure attitude seems to be working well for Gelpi. He finished his first collegiate season undefeated 鈥� all the way to the state meet.聽

But his plans go further than just winning in college 鈥� he dreams of going to the Olympics in 2024.

鈥淥lympics 2024 鈥� that’s definitely one that I’m trying to make. I’m fairly close but I still [have] a lot of work to do. I mean it would be a real big accomplishment. That would be huge.”

His ultimate goal is winning high jump at the Olympics one day.聽聽

鈥淚 would love to win the Olympics, that would be such a big milestone,鈥� Gelpi said.聽

If he were to win, that would be the second Olympic gold medal in Puerto Rican history. Meanwhile, Gelpi plans to continue to work towards his goals little by little, enjoying every minute of it.

鈥淚 have nothing to prove to anybody but myself. I’m having a great time. I’m winning and jumping high,鈥� Gelpi said.