Riverside—Ted Hooper is still searching for that perfect jump. "I've seen it in my head many, many times," said Hooper, a former All-American long jumper at UC Riverside. "When I think about it, it's also stressful."

Hooper grew up dreaming of one day being an Olympian. Now 24, that dream has grown tantalizingly close over the past two years, but it's taken a twist.

Because he has dual citizenship, Hooper is trying to make the Taiwanese Olympic team. That wasn't the original plan, but Hooper's eligible to compete for the small island nation as long as he hits the long jump Olympic qualifying standard of 8.15 meters, or around 26 feet, 9 inches.

As he works out alone at the UCR track, Hooper is driven by equal parts inspiration and fear. The inspiration comes from the fact that he's just three inches short of hitting the magical number to earn a spot in Rio. He's topped 8.15 meters several times, but fouled on those attempts, and had at least one promising jump nullified because it was wind-aided. The fear is that he's so close to achieving the dream but the window is closing fast.

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