When Portland State triple jump school record-holder Jean-Luc Toku arrived in the United States at the age of seven, he knew exactly five words in English…the numbers one through five, which he'd learned off television.
 
His parents, Raphael and Antoinette Toku, emigrated from his native Togo in East Africa to the US to give their three children better opportunities. Toku's native language was Ewe, the language of the Ewe people who inhabit the coasts of Ghana, Togo and Benin. 
 
Both parents had college degrees, but they weren't recognized here. So, it was back to school. Antoinette Toku, an accountant, earned a degree in finance from Portland State, and Raphael Toku earned an on-line degree in his specialty of computers/IT in order to find work here. Both currently work in their specialties.
 
The Toku family left Togo because "there were problems with the president and there were college graduates who had to sell stuff on the streets," said the Central Catholic High graduate who just completed his second year as a Viking.
 
Besides being a quick learner, Toku had a leg up when he arrived and didn't recall struggling to learn English.
 
"We began school earlier in Togo, so I'd already had a lot of the material."  He was way ahead in math, for instance, so he could concentrate on learning English (his third language).
 
Toku quickly acclimated to his new country and got involved in basketball, soccer and track, dropping the first two after his freshman year in high school because: "track was by far my best sport."
 
Maybe so, but it didn't come naturally…at least the jumping. Jumpers are normally six feet tall or better, according to PSU assistant track coach David Hepburn. Toku stands 5'8".
 
"Normally jumpers are tall…long legs and long arms. Jean-Luc is successful because of a lot of hard work and his determination," Hepburn said.
 
Toku started track in the eighth grade. "All the tall jumpers could jump farther than I could." Jumping is comprised of two major elements, strength and speed, "so I just worked hard, spending a lot of my time in the weight room and got very strong for my stature. My overall strength helped me overcome my stature."
 
Still, it wasn't until the end of his junior year that his hard work began to pay dividends. His jumps got longer and he found himself getting a little faster to go with his strength. He had always dreamed at jumping at the university level and it was at that point that he began to think it might be possible.
 
As a high school senior, Toku earned first team all-state honors in the triple jump and the long jump and placed third at state in the long jump. This brought interest from some community colleges and a few small schools, "but I really wanted to compete on the Division I level, so I walked on at PSU." However, in his debut at the Bronco Invitational during the 2016 indoor season, Toku jumped 47-00.75 (14.34m), moving him up to third all-time at PSU and earning him a scholarship.
 
He did find the transition from high school to college athletics more difficult than he expected.
 
"Training takes a lot more time that I thought. It's really time consuming. Practice is a lot harder. I remember the first warm up here…it felt like a whole practice. There's a lot more time in the weight room and more emphasis on the technical aspects of jumping," said Toku.
 
He broke the 44-year-old school record in the triple jump earlier this year at the Triton Invitational on April 22. He jumped 48-07.25 (14.81m). But, that isn't what he lists as the highlight of his PSU career so far.
 
"I've been able to meet so many different people, so many different athletes and develop a lot of new relationships. There are a lot of great people at PSU, people who want to help you succeed," he said.
 
Tapped by the PSU administration as having an inspiring personal story to tell, Toku was invited last fall to speak to the school's annual Simon Benson Awards dinner, which draws around 500 people to honor Oregon philanthropists.
 
Was he nervous speaking in front of such a large audience? "Oddly enough, no. There was nervous energy, but it was more excitement than anything. I met so many new people and the people I was working with did a great job preparing and letting me know I couldn't mess up."
 
And the discovery of how much he enjoys people (plus a current marketing internship in the athletic department) helped him decide on a change in majors. Initially, Toku planned to follow his mother with a finance degree, but has since changed his major to marketing.
 
"I like the people aspect of marketing and the challenges…like figuring out ways to get more students to games. There are many ways you can try to do it," he said. Finance, he decided, might not offer enough people contact.
Toku maintained around a 3.5 cumulative GPA in four years at Central Catholic and, until recently, had been maintaining the same here. "My classes have gotten harder at the end of my sophomore year here," he explained.
 
As with sports, the transition to college academics was an eye opener.
 
Besides sports, Toku was part of Central's constitution team.  
 
"In high school, I wasn't very disciplined at allotting my time for studying.  Finding time was hard. After a meet, I'd get home at 10 p.m. or so, take a shower and start homework. So it was one or two in the morning by the time I finished and then I had to be in the weight room again early the next morning," he said. He learned to study every chance he got…on the way to track meets, in the car, anytime he could find. "In high school, maybe you could do some last minute studying and some memorization. Here, more thought has to go into it."
 
Among his hobbies, he lists listening to music…"all genres, hip hop, rap and rock.  I listen to classical music when I study and I listen to a lot of French and African artists." That's probably why brushing up his French is also on that list. He spoke French as a second language when he was younger, but has forgotten most of it. 
 
On the track, coach Hepburn expects Toku to continue getting better. "He works hard on the track and in the weight room. He works to get faster. He got faster through the season last year and he has done so again this year."
 
And speed, is what Toku sees as the key to reaching his track goals before he graduates.
 
"It's all about speed. I need to improve my speed. My strength is good, but strength will only take me so far. You absorb and apply a lot of force and my strength allows me to do that pretty well, but speed is the main thing," he said.
 
Hepburn said that breaking 50 feet in the triple jump would be a realistic expectation.
 
Not good enough, said Toku. "My goal is go to nationals in the triple jump. I'd love to do it in the long jump, but that'll be tougher for me. I'm not as good at that. I'd like to score nationals my senior year. My goal is to hit 50 feet this year and 55 feet by the time I'm a senior," he said.
 
And, if he does, this overachiever will have his determination and strong work ethic to thank. Well, that and his good luck charms. At the Big Sky Outdoor Championships this weekend, he'll be wearing a pair of gold-striped socks that glitter.
 
"I like goofy socks. They're my good luck charms. I had a pair of fluffy pink ones but I lost them. I've worn the gold and glitter socks to the state meet and here."
 
And with luck, Toku will find gold around his neck at the end of the Big Sky meet this weekend, as well.