UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON TRACK STAR OVERCOMES HEART SURGERY FOR A RUN AT A NATIONAL TITLE

Jamar Marshall Jr. is ready to take his shot at the national championship in the 100-meter hurdles. Not that long ago, he wondered if he could run at all.

"I didn't know what God had in store for me," Marshall told ABC13 recently. "What I did do is have a little bit of faith. And you know, prayed a little bit, talked to my family. And just believed in my coaches."

Marshall's decision to transfer from the University of Houston didn't work out the way he planned. He was left without the opportunity to run and was craving stability in his life off the track.

"Shoot. It was a two-year process. Shoot, really not having no money. Staying with a friend," Marshall said.

Then doctors told him he needed heart surgery due to Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome that causes rapid and irregular heartbeats.

"Mentally, it set me back," he said. "I don't know if I'm gonna be the same Jamar that everybody talked about."

That version of Jamar Marshall finished 5th in the 2021 NCAA Championships. Through it all, he kept the determination needed to make a run at this year's national title after UH track coach Carl Lewis welcomed him back to the program.

"He stayed with his great enthusiasm," Lewis said. "And I think that's why he's doing so well. He's just a good person. He works hard, and he wants to be good."

Marshall enters this week's NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in top form. He's the UH record holder in the 110 hurdles and the Big 12 champion. He never knows where he stands in his races until he crosses the finish line and looks up at the clock.

"Everything just feels so effortless at that time. I black out, so I kind of don't know what's going on in the race," Marshall said. "I know what it feels like, and it feels way too good."

If confidence counts for anything, Marshall should run his best in the biggest meet of the year.

"We've been putting on a show all season. I mean, it's not like they ain't watched," he said. "If you haven't watched, just tune in."

Marshall will run in the national semifinals on Wednesday with an eye on advancing to the championship finals.

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2025-06-10T01:53:45Z