Jahi Jones was moments away from standing eye-to-eye with his opponent on the mat for the 2020 NCAA Division I wrestling championships. After qualifying for competition on the biggest stage—despite setbacks and a pursuit of persistence—his dream of competing in front of thousands at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis was finally happening.
Or at least, so he thought.
The emergence of the coronavirus in the U.S. canceled all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships that March. He was devastated.
“I was having the best season I’d ever had when COVID-19 ended my chance to compete for a national title,” Jones says.