TOKYO, Japan — High jumper Romaine Beckford is choosing growth over disappointment after falling short of his own expectations at the World Athletics Championships, choosing to focus on lessons learnt and a renewed determination to rise higher in the seasons to come.

Beckford came to Tokyo looking to continue the improvements shown in his last two appearances in senior global championships — a qualifying round elimination at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and a 10th-place finish in the Olympic final last year.

His return to this stage did not bring the success he had anticipated, again advancing to the final but ending the competition with no mark, after failing to clear the opening height of 2.20m. It was a result that left him disappointed but not defeated.

“Firstly, I have to be thankful for the season that I have had so far knowing everything I have been through,” said Beckford, who has a personal best of 2.30m, which he achieved last season at the Rome Diamond League.

“It’s really a learning process still, and I am glad I accomplished something better this time at the World Championships compared to the first time. The first time I didn’t qualify to the final and this year I made a step forward and qualified to the final. I ended up not getting a mark, not what I wanted, but I just have to learn from it and move on.”

The 23-year-old admitted that the heavy workload during qualifying left his body taxed. Beckford required three jumps for each height cleared during qualifying on Sunday, the effects of which he believes negatively affected his performance in the final on Tuesday.

“It’s kind of rough, especially for me on the qualifying day,” he explained. “I took nine jumps to qualify and it was really pressuring on my body. I went back the day and tried to rest and recover,” he said.

“I am not trying to blame anything and I am not pressuring myself where I am going to bring it forward, it just brings more fire in my soul to work harder next season. But I can’t beat up myself.”

Beyond the physical demands, Beckford acknowledged the mental challenges of balancing expectations with the unpredictability of the sport.

“I think right now everything builds on mentality and I think each championship that I go to, I have learnt to accept stuff and move forward in the situation and not keep it with me,” he shared. “One of the biggest mistakes I made this year was coming off the great ending of the season that I had in 2024, I expected too much of myself. When the first couple meets didn’t go well, it kind of had a mental block on me. But as the season went on, I kind of learnt to accept things, and that made things better for me.”

For Beckford, the takeaway from Tokyo is clear — embrace the process, stay grounded, and be ready for both the highs and lows.

“This is track and field,” he said. “You can feel good today and then tomorrow you go out there and still feel good, and nothing goes your way. So it’s just whenever there is a fire, you blaze it.”

—Andre Lowe

Romaine Beckford (Photo: AFP)