South Portland’s Arnaud Sioho competes in the long jump at the SMAA indoor track championships in Gorham. Sioho won with a best jump of 23-3. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Heral
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As a freshman, Arnaud Sioho entered winter sports season looking to play basketball. Fate, though, had a different plan — one that would change the course of Maine high school track and field history.

On a late November day in 2021, Sioho missed the last day of South Portland boys basketball tryouts, dashing his hopes of playing for the Red Riots. Yet his physical education teacher, Thomas Owens, had seen what Sioho could do in class and knew he was too good to be sidelined.

“He kind of got me started with track and jumping, and he said I was really good, so he got me talking to my current coach (Dave Kahill),” said Sioho, now a senior. “I just kept on doing it, and I really never looked back.”

Three years later, Sioho is one of the greatest jumpers the state has ever seen. He was particularly strong this winter, winning medals and breaking records, and earning this year’s title of Varsity Maine Boys Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Sioho won the long jump and the triple jump last season, setting the Class A record in the triple at 46 feet, 10 3/4 inches. In the spring, he won the long and triple jump crowns with meet-record marks (23-2 1/4, 47-2) while also placing first in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles.

That success meant high expectations this winter — and Sioho crushed them. 

He set meet records in the long (22-11 1/4) and triple (48-6 1/4) jumps at the Class A meet, as well as in the long jump (23-3) and 55-meter hurdles (7.67 seconds) at the Southern Maine Athletic Association championships. At the New England championships, he placed second with a personal-best long jump of 23-8 1/4.

“His preparation was very good in the summer and fall, and (this winter), he just showed so much determination and perseverance,” Kahill said. “He battled through an injury, and it was his first time really having to work through the frustration of not being able to be out there, but he stayed focused and battled back.”

South Portland’s Arnaud Sioho competes in the long jump at the Class A indoor track state championship meet in Gorham. Siohon won with a jump of 21-11 3/4. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

That injury happened Jan. 4 at the University of Southern Maine New Year’s Invitational. While competing in the 55-meter hurdles, Sioho strained his hamstring, and was unable to practice or compete until South Portland’s final regular-season meet Feb. 1.

What Sioho did that day — after being unable to run or jump for a month — was shocking.

On his first triple jump, Sioho recorded a 48-3, setting a new SMAA record. He then set a new all-time state best on his next jump, going 49-10 to break the previous 48-10 1/4 mark set by Mattanawcook Academy’s Cayden Spencer Thompson in 2018. His third jump? An astonishing 50-1 3/4.

“I felt OK (going into it) but not great because my hamstring was still twitching,” Sioho said. “I hadn’t practiced the week prior because I was trying to manage, but I knew I needed that one good jump to go to regionals and states. On that last (50-1) jump, I didn’t realize it was 50 until I heard the official say it. It was pretty insane.”

This indoor track season could have had a number of deserving Boys Athlete of the Year winners. Andre Clark of Marshwood won the New England 55-meter dash title in 6.38 seconds, Maine’s fastest time ever; Falmouth’s Max Shapiro beat out Clark for the 55 state title; Lewiston’s Josia Katroli had an all-time great season in the high jump.

It’s hard to argue, though, with Sioho’s consistency. With the exception of that 55-meter dash at the state meet, he won every event in which he competed this year, destroying his former personal bests and setting new school, state and meet records in the process.

“Looking back to last year’s New England outdoor championship meet, we had four (boys) New England champions from that meet returning this year for indoor,” Kahill said. “If you look at the performances this year compared to other years, it’s really eye-opening. It’s an honor for Arnaud to even be considered in that group.”

Sioho will compete at the Division I level next year for the University of Rhode Island. First, though, he has one more outdoor season left, in which he hopes to achieve more record-setting performances.

“I want to jump 52 feet in the triple jump, I want to potentially go 24 feet in the long jump, and I want to repeat in the (110-meter) hurdles — maybe go sub-14,” Sioho said. “I always want to outdo myself.”