Daughter of tribal princess is a natural

AUSTIN ? Jaclyn Owusu arrived in Ghana ? birthplace of her mother's regal lineage and her father's athletic legacy ? and was greeted by the Queen Mother.

There, her maternal grandmother, Margaret Adjaye, is regarded as a source of wisdom for one of the Ga tribes; her paternal grandfather, John Owusu, is remembered for his Olympic quests.

There is rich history on all sides, and Owusu, on her first visit to West Africa last December, was overcome with emotion.

"I have people who look like me," she said of her relatives.

It was the experience Joshua and Doris Owusu wanted for their daughter. A junior at Texas and one of the best triple jumpers in the Big 12 Conference, Jaclyn Owusu, of Frisco, appears at first to be no different than her peers.

Owusu's long legs and sinewy frame suit her well for this event. Though her approach is not particularly fast, Owusu is technically sound and is strong enough to hop, step and leap at least 40 feet.

"She is a natural athlete," said UT track coach Bev Kearney. "We feel the best is yet to come for Jaclyn, that eventually she can evolve into an All-American."

Owusu, who also does some modeling, is distinguished in many ways from her competitors.

Owusu's mother is princess of the Ga tribe in Bukom, one of the smaller tribes in Ghana. Doris Owusu, who has lived in the United States for three decades, allowed the crown of Queen Mother to bypass her after her mother, at age 80, relinquished it last summer. Because the crown is matriarchal, it will remain with the women in the family, and this summer it will be passed on to Doris Owusu's cousin in Ghana. Jaclyn, too, may someday be offered the crown.

With that in mind, her mother opened Jaclyn's eyes to the side of her world she had never seen ? a country where old colonial forts, remnants of the European slave trade, still dot the Atlantic coastline, and where her family is considered royalty.

"It was very emotional" Jaclyn said. "It's a great honor. What my grandmother does and who she is is still very important because it's part of the tribe and part of the tradition.

"My grandmother tries to think of ways to have better tribal coherence and to give guidance. It's not how she looks but how she carries herself. She's very proper in what she does. I feel like I'm a part of it, but I am removed because I'm here."

Despite the distance, Owusu's name is linked to her parents' homeland.

Josh Owusu came to the United States to study and run track at Angelo State. His future wife knew him, but the two did not become close friends until she, coincidentally, arrived at the same college.

At Angelo State, Josh Owusu became one of the school's most decorated track and field athletes. His sophomore year, he competed for Ghana in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, finishing fourth in the long jump. He was also a three-time winner at the Texas Relays.

He was the second Owusu in the Olympics. His father, John Owusu, ran in the 100 and 200 meters for Gold Coast, as Ghana was known before its independence, in 1952 and 1956. Jaclyn's brother, Drexell, 24, was an All-America triple jumper at Rice.

"I still consider Jaclyn the best athlete in the family," said Josh Owusu, a chemical engineer in Dallas. "We are waiting for her to excel. Even when she was young, she was a very good sprinter, a very tough, determined athlete."

That's why her lack of aggression this year has caught even Jaclyn by surprise. It could be an effort to be more relaxed during competition. Yet it was fire, blended with her athletic ability, that got her to this level in the first place.

"It's not technical or physical," she said. "It's a matter of pumping myself up."

Her best jump last year was 42 feet, 6 ? inches. This year, she hasn't gone farther than 40-11. Still, Owusu is ranked fifth in a tight group heading into the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Columbia, Mo., this weekend. She placed third at the meet last year.

"The thing about jumps is that it only takes one," Kearney said. "She is physically ready. With the triple jump, the longer you're in it, the better you get. She is trying to decide, 'How good am I?' "

Owusu says she knows the answer to that question. After her trip to Ghana, she knows something more about herself, too.

"I want to go back and help in some way, even if it's just a little bit," she said. "I want to be a part of the culture."