October 21, 2016
The recent death of a former Tansey resident is also being mourned more than 13,000km away … in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Gai Michele Kapernick died peacefully on October 13 at age 46.
A funeral service was held at St John Trinity Lutheran Church in Wondai on Thursday.
The former athlete earned a major report on the Louisiana State University website, celebrating her high-jumping achievements at the college.
LSU Sports noted that Kapernick was the 1994 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) outdoor high jump champion.
She was two-time All-American high jumper during her college career from 1993-95, and scored the points that helped the (LSU athletics team) Lady Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Outdoor national championships during 1993-94.
Kapernick was crowned the NCAA Outdoor Champion in the women’s high jump in the 1994 season when she cleared a school-record height of 6 feet, 2¼ inches at Boise State’s Bronco Stadium, a mark that still stands!
She also still holds the LSU’s indoor school record with 6 feet, 1½ inches cleared during the 1993 season.
Kapernick also competed in the green and gold, jumping at championships in Greece, England, Hungary and Spain.
- External link: Former High Jump Champion Dies
RIP Gai. Coaching you was my honor at LSU. Our family will never forget you – Rock and Shanny Light, TJ and Brett