Knee problem a bother for Bryan

Christoffe Bryan opened his season with a win in the men's high jump at the Kansas State University (KSU), University of Kansas (KU), Wichita State University (WSU) Showdown in Lawrence, Kansas.

Bryan, the former Wolmerian, won with a leap of 2.20m as his team finished second in the contest among the three universities.

His countrywoman, Kimberly Williams, won the women's equivalent with a 1.87m leap as she continues her gradual improvement since attending KSU two season ago.

Despite his winning opening, Bryan is far from happy. A bothersome knee that has plagued him for years now continues to hamper his progress, a big concern since he plans to represent Jamaica at the Olympic Games in Rio this summer.

"That's the main goal," said a frustrated Bryan. "I was supposed to go to the World Championships last year, but I had to pull out because of the same knee issue. But I am trying to get it sorted out as soon as possible."

Bryan has been struggling with a bad knee since his days in high school. He has had it treated, but nothing seems to be able help him put the injury behind him. It has now become a nuisance.

"I am having this problem for too long and it's holding me back. I went 2.28m last year and couldn't get back there, so I was pretty frustrated and disappointed," he said.

The knee has not allowed him to jump much in practice this off-season, and he believes it affected him on Friday.

"I feel it was a pretty good performance because I haven't jumped that much in practice, so my timing was off," he said. "When I got to 2.25m, my knee was bothering me a little, but I pushed through."

Bryan said that he aims to break 2.30m this season, which should help him earn a spot on the national team to Rio, and as such, he plans to undergo a procedure in a couple of months that he hopes will alleviate the knee problem that has been preventing him from soaring to new heights.