Paris, France — In the electric atmosphere of the Stade de France on Saturday night, 22-year-old Romaine Beckford, one of Jamaica’s most promising talents in the high jump, finished 10th in the men’s final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Despite a challenging end to his campaign, Beckford remained positive, cherishing his Olympic debut and the lessons it brought.
Beckford, a two-time NCAA Indoor and Outdoor champion, and a NACAC Under-23 champion, cleared 2.22m but struggled at the 2.27m mark, failing to clear it in three attempts. The event culminated in a dramatic jump-off, with New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr emerging victorious after clearing an Area record 2.36m, edging out American Shelby McEwen, who also posted a personal best of 2.36m. Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim secured the bronze medal with a season-best 2.34m.
Mix of satisfaction and frustration
In his post-event interview, Beckford expressed a mix of satisfaction and frustration. “I think I executed pretty good, wanted to jump higher but my body said no,” he shared, reflecting on the toll of a long and demanding season. “I’ve been through a long season and I’m just grateful that I qualified for the final. My fear was to no height, so I’m happy I did it.”
Beckford, who was the second youngest competitor in the final, noted the closeness of his attempts and the small adjustments that could have made a difference. “I felt pretty close, and even in the qualifying round, there were just some small things that I really needed to adjust,” he explained. “But as I said, it’s been a really long season. My body’s just been tired and I’m just trying to push it beyond the limit right now, but everything still feels good.”
Despite the challenges, Beckford’s Olympic experience has fueled his determination. “I just feel like I have reached that point where I said okay this is going to be my breakthrough,” he said, his optimism shining through. “I’m holding faith and giving God thanks for the journey I’m going through right now.”
When asked about his experience at his first Olympics, Beckford was candid. “On the trackwise, it’s pretty good, otherwise not so good at the village, you know,” he said with a smile, acknowledging the ups and downs of his Olympic journey.
100 percent motivated
Looking ahead, Beckford is already setting his sights on future competitions, particularly the World Championships next year. “I’ll say pretty much like 100 percent motivated,” he said, drawing inspiration from his performance. “It just shows me the quality of jumper I am, even though I didn’t finish how I wanted, it just shows the quality of high jumpers.”
Reflecting on the marathon finish to the competition, where Kerr and McEwen battled it out in an extended jump-off, Beckford expressed his admiration. “It’s the first showdown that I saw that took so long, but I feel like that just shows true champions. You’re going out to the end of the body and just keep going at it, and then the best man got the win. It was a great competition.”
As Beckford leaves Paris with valuable experience under his belt, his journey is far from over. With his eyes firmly set on the future, Jamaica’s rising star is determined to continue his ascent in the world of high jump, carrying the lessons of his Olympic debut with him every step of the way.
