High jumper Raymond seeks to boost confidence ahead of Junior Trials

Having captured the gold medal with a personal best mark of 2.05 metres at the Penn Relays last weekend, St Elizabeth Technical High School’s high jumper Dejone Raymond has set his sights on bettering that performance when he competes at tomorrow’s East Coast International in Baltimore, Maryland.

The 17 year-old athlete told The Gleaner yesterday that he has been training well in his build-up to the meet and is confident that he can improve his personal- best mark.

“My expectations are really high because I have been training to keep my form, and I am just hoping to achieve another personal-best mark at this meet,” said Raymond.

“Right now, I am feeling very relaxed and just praying that with the help of God, I can come out victorious at this meet,” he said.

Raymond, who failed to make Jamaica’s team’s to recent Carifta Games in Kingston, said this meet could not have come at better time because it will be good competition for him ahead of National Junior Trials next month.

“This meet is huge for me because this is my last major competition before the National Junior Trials, so I just want to go out there and get a good mark ahead of the Trials,” he said. I know that once I am able to get a good mark, then this will boost my confidence for the Trials,” he said.

Raymond, who finished second in the event at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, improved on his previous best of 2.00m when he won at the Penn Relays.

He stated that he has been working on a few things before Saturday’s meet, and once he is able to get it right, then he is expecting great things from himself for the rest of the year.

“I think that I definitely have to work on my run-up. My coach and I have discussed that over the course of this week, and I am also doing a lot of mental preparations for this because I know that it is not going to be very easy to win,” he said.