HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — USF High jumper Romaine Beckford made school history on Saturday when he won gold at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, NM. It's the first indoor national championship in program history and USF's first track and field title since 1993.
Beckford cleared a height of 7' 4.25" inches to earn first place. However, he says his success begins before he takes his first step toward the bar.
"I kinda run through everything in my mind and just look at myself clearing the bar. And just boost myself up," Beckford said. "I'll be on my mark, talking to myself. Saying, 'C'mon, Beckford, you got this. Let's go!'"
Once he blended the mental preparation with a nearly flawless clearance, the competition was over.
"Most of the time when I take off, my eyes are closed until I land. I'm just focusing on getting a steady approach and a perfect takeoff," The senior explained. "After that, everything else is all muscle memory."
A native of Jamaica, Romaine's home country is famous for churning out world-class sprinters like track and field icon Usain Bolt. Beckford says Bolt is "a god of sports" in Jamaica, and he also wanted to be a sprinter. But sticking with the high jump was a pretty good decision.
"I think I did an interview with somebody a month or so ago, and they asked me what I thought about it. I said the sky was the limit for him. And he goes out and wins the NCAA Championship," USF head coach Erik Jenkins said before Wednesday's practice. "He still has a lot of growing to do, but he loves the sport, and he's willing to give it his all to be good."
Beckford held off the University of Oklahoma's Vernon Turner to win his crown and wants to keep making history by competing against the best jumpers possible.
"With competition, I always jump good. And I like to be underneath pressure," Romaine said. "If I clear a bar, I like to see somebody else coming in, backing it up and jumping again. And we just go at it."
"I've coached over 50 years, and I've never had an athlete mentally as tough as he is," said USF assistant and high jump coach Don Marsh. "He likes to be in meets where maybe somebody in there's better than he is or certainly equal to him. That's when he jumps his best."
Beckford's only 20 years old but lives by an old-school mindset to push himself to the top.
"As long as you put your mind to something, and you work toward it, you're going to achieve your goal."
Beckford now turns his attention to the NCAA outdoor season. He also wants to represent Jamaica at the World Championships this summer. Romaine's personal best is 7' 5."
USF hosts the Bulls Invitational on Friday and Saturday, featuring some of the best competition nationwide- including programs like Ohio St. and Texas. Head to www.gousfbulls.com for a complete list of events.
