The stars are beginning to align in a big way for Missouri Baptist University sophomore Maegan Saleh, who went from lifelong gymnast to Olympic hopeful in an entirely different sport.
 
For a large part of 13 years, Saleh perfected her craft in artistic gymnastics which included events such as bars, beams, floor and vault. Then came the transition to trampoline and tumbling. The move made sense for Saleh when comparing her style and approach – strength and power vs. artistic. Unknowingly, the gymnastics training was developing a track & field star in the making.
 
Roughly six years ago, Saleh took a leap of faith deciding to trade in trampoline and tumbling for a pair of spikes and a long jump pit.
 
"I credit 100% of my athletic ability to gymnastics," Saleh said. "It was very easy to translate over into track. Before you do a tumble pass, you have to sprint into it. Before you do a vault pass, you have to sprint into it. The same goes for sprints and jumps. It's all about strength, speed and power."
 
As they say, the rest is history.
 
Beginning her track & field career as a high school freshman at Visitation Academy, Saleh quickly realized her potential as a jumper. She recalls winning several meets as a newcomer and thinking, "I could get good at this." That intuition came to fruition. As a sophomore, Saleh captured bronze in the long jump at the MSHSAA Class 4 State Championships. She went on to become a three-time state qualifier with runner-up and fourth-place finishes at the Class 5 meet her junior and senior seasons at Marquette High School. When all is said and done, her high school accomplishments may turn out to be just a tiny blip on an impressive track & field resume.
 
It didn't take long for Saleh's success to carry over into the collegiate ranks. As a freshman at MBU, Saleh was crowned 2019 American Midwest Conference (AMC) Indoor long jump champion and recorded a fourth-place finish in the event at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to net All-American honors.
 
The sophomore standout is in the midst of another successful season for the Spartans winning titles in both the 60-meter dash and long jump at last month's AMC Indoor Championships. Saleh achieved the NAIA "A" standard earlier in the year with a personal record (PR) of 5.89 meters (19'4") at the Eastern Illinois University John Craft Invite. That particular performance has her ranked No. 4 in the nation heading into this weekend's NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Brookings, S.D. The women's long jump is scheduled for Friday, March 6 at 1 p.m.
 
Saleh also has her sights set on international competition in the foreseeable future, i.e. the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. With dual citizenship in the United States and Egypt, Saleh explored the possibility of competing for the Egypt National Team thanks to the encouragement of club coach and founder of Tallawah Roos, Andrew Scott, founder of Tallawah Roos.
 
Since initiating conversations in the fall with the Egypt coaches, Saleh has made two trips across the Atlantic Ocean to set the wheels in motion. With long jump marks at MBU that wowed the coaches, Saleh had to check a few boxes before officially earning a spot on the National Team. The first requirement was to join a club team in Egypt, which Maegan satisfied by joining Cairo club, Al-Ittihad. The other prerequisite was a meet-and-greet with the team.
 
"In October, I practiced with the National Team the whole week I was there," Saleh said. "They were all so excited and happy to have me. I'm the American one, so they were all like, 'she's half and half!' They were all very welcoming."
 
Two weeks ago, Saleh made a return trip to Cairo to compete in the Egyptian National Championships held at the Olympics Center Maadi. Although Saleh had visited Egypt close to a dozen times growing up, the latest trip marked the first in which she attended or competed in a track & field event. No beginner's luck was needed as Saleh won gold in the long jump with a new PR of 5.99m (19'8") and closed in on the Egypt national record of 6.15m (20'2").
 
As an event winner in Cairo, Saleh automatically qualified for the Mediterranean Union Championships on June 6-7. Her second competition on the international circuit will be held in La Nucia, Spain.
 
While Saleh is officially a member of the Egypt National Team, an invite to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan is not guaranteed. The track & field standout currently has 2 and ½ feet to go to meet the Olympic standard of 22'4" and has until her birthday – June 29^th – to hit that mark.
 
"It would mean everything to me [to earn a spot on Team Egypt for the Olympics] because I've been working so hard for it," Saleh added. "It is kind of a long shot for 2020, but 2024 I definitely want to be on the Olympic Team."
 
Lucky for Saleh, time is in her favor as she is only 19 years old. According to the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, the peak age for world-class track & field athletes is typically 25 to 27 years old (data was generated by taking individual season bests for the IAAF Top 100 world-ranked athletes from 2002 to 2016.)
 
Saleh isn't wasting any time. Meal plans, training outside of MBU practice and extra mileage on the track have become the new norm. She has also put a focus on the small things.
 
"I watch a lot of film – slow motion on takeoffs and landing," Saleh said of her daily routine. "I think track is very mental. You have to visualize everything that you're doing. If you miss one step, it will take off inches. Everything has to be perfect."
 
One thing is for sure. The career trajectory for the budding star out of St. Louis is worth tracking.