ADRIAN — When Peda Zeba first competed in triple jump for the Adrian/Ellsworth Dragons as a sophomore, he was already pretty close to Adrian’s all-time record.
Now as a senior, he has reset it and pushed the mark over three feet.
Zeba moved with his family to Adrian before his freshman year. He had previously attended Worthington Middle School. In the fall he was the kicker on the Dragons football team, in the winter he played basketball and now in the spring he is a standout athlete for track and field.
This season, Zeba is one of the best class A triple jump participants in the state of Minnesota. But he has also improved in several other of his events this season.
Zeba was a member of a team that set the 4x100 meter relay school record last year. Zeba is fourth all-time in the 100 meter dash for Adrian and seventh in the long jump.
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His personal record in the 100 meter dash is a blazing 11.47 seconds.
Much of what Zeba has learned about jumping is self taught. Through his time at WHS, he has maintained a friendship with stellar Trojan athletes Abagotte Opiew and Marenono Opiew, who are both talented in the triple and long jump events themselves.
The track at Adrian’s football field is made out of dirt. So Zeba along with his current 4x100 meter team of Logan Neuenburg, Lucas Essman and Tavian Lange will sometimes go to Luverne to practice on a track in meet condition.
As for moving schools from Worthington to Adrian? Well, Zeba has liked the change.
“Running with a small school is nice because everybody knows each other, everyone stays close and we all push each other higher and get better,” said Zeba to The Globe. “For our 4x100 team for example we push each other — if one does bad at a meet we don’t bring him down — we try to improve and get better for the next time.”
Zeba will continue with track and field when he attends Southwest Minnesota State University next fall. There he plans to study computer science.
To see a video of Peda Zeba, go online to www.dglobe.com . Here’s a sample of our interview:
QUESTION: Before you run on the track what is on your mind? Your get off from the blocks or your speed on the track?
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ANSWER: My acceleration is pretty good so I usually try to get off the blocks pretty fast. Some meets I end up finishing pretty and in some meets it is kind of off because I sometimes don’t feel the best. But most of the time I try to get off the blocks pretty fast and I have seen clips of me running, off the blocks I am usually the first and try to keep up my pace throughout that time.
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