TAMPA, Fla. — USF high jumper Romaine Beckford is usually soft-spoken, but that changes once he steps into the high jump pit.
Last weekend, Beckford couldn't contain his positive emotions after winning the NCAA outdoor title with a leap of 7' 5.25." The native of Jamaica pumped his fists and screamed after clearing the height that secured the win. After barely missing his final attempt- he had already clinched gold but raised the bar anyway- Beckford celebrated with a backflip.
" My reaction and everything, after I cleared the bar, after I noticed that I won, it says everything about the victory and what it meant to me," Beckford said during an interview this week at the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center.
Romaine is the second, two-time NCAA champ in program history. He's the first to do it since Jon Dennis won his second 5,000-meter crown in 1993.
Beckford's coaches say one of his biggest strengths is that he loves competing under the bright lights on the biggest stages.
"He loves pressure. He’s much better if there are other outstanding jumpers in there," USF high jump coach Don Marsh explained. "He relishes being out there with the best. So inconsistency- no, what he does. He’s always on. He’s always ready to go."
Beckford, a junior, admitted that he set specific personal goals before the season started. It's safe to say he underestimated his potential.
"At first, I wrote down some goals before the season even started," Romaine said. "I wanted to finish in the top five for indoor and the top three for indoor."
He won first place in both events, and he now owns the program record in both events. "I just want to go out there and compete to the best of my ability and finish wherever I finish.
Beckford's coaches say he puts in all the hard work necessary to be an elite jumper. Sometimes that means training in a way that doesn't include the jump pit.
"He ran hard in the fall and kept running throughout spring. He actually trained with the sprinters on a lot of days," explained USF head track and field coach Erik Jenkins. "He put together a complete package in order to give him an opportunity to be successful at the highest level of our sport."
Jenkins treats every competition as a business trip, but he admitted it's fun to be a spectator and watch an athlete like Beckford continue to excel.
"He did his job. The bottom line, he did his job. He executed his training. As a coach, you are a fan at that moment, as well," Jenkins continued. "But you also have to stay locked in and make sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. But I certainly enjoy the fandom and that side of it."
Beckford joked that his Instagram following has continued growing during his recent success. Romaine says he's not a big Twitter user, but he also saw his name gain popularity on that platform. He's a rising star in the sport, which motivates him to try and reach new heights.
"When you see that you have a lot of people around you that look up to you and appreciate what you’re doing, without even knowing you like that... it just gives me a different feeling inside. And it just pushes me more."
Beckford won't get much time off before shifting his focus to qualifying for the Jamaican national team that will attend the World Championships in August.
