Perinchief To ‘Put On A Show’ At Meet In Bermuda
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Jah-Nhai Perinchief has vowed to “put on a show” for the home crowd at the inaugural USATF Bermuda Games at the Flora Duffy Stadium on Saturday [April 9].
The triple jumper finished his indoor season on a high note, coming fifth on his debut at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, last month with a personal best of 16.95 metres.
He is confident of carrying his strong form into the outdoor season, starting with a win at the USATF Bermuda Games – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Label Event – the highest level outside of the World Athletics Diamond League.
However, Perinchief expects stiff competition from Jordan Scott of Jamaica and Kaiwan Culmer of the Bahamas.
“Jordan and Kaiwan are quality jumpers, but I always shoot for the win,” Perinchief told Bernews.
“I want to put on a show for the people back home.”
With the Bermuda public starved of live athletics in recent years, having the Carifta Games cancelled for two successive years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Perinchief hopes the opportunity to watch world-class operators in action will attract a bumper crowd.
“It’s going to be a fun event,” said Perinchief, who has climbed to sixteenth in the world rankings.
“Bermuda doesn’t get to host many big meets other than the Carifta Games, and this meet will show people what comes after Carifta.
“They’re going to see world-class athletes who have competed at the Olympic Games.
“I think we will get good numbers [in attendance]. The island has done a great job promoting the event.”
Although Perinchief is naturally a reserved character, he enjoys expressing himself on the runway and is excited to showcase his ability on home soil and interact with his fellow Bermudians.
“I’m very reserved; I don’t care for all of the recognition and that stuff,” said Perinchief, recently crowned the Male Athlete of the Year for 2021.
“However, I feel as though there are people who don’t really know me, know me.
“They may have seen me in the streets, walking around when I’m back home, but nobody really interacts with me.
“This meet will be a chance to interact with people who aren’t just my close friends or people I grew up with at school.
“The last time I competed in Bermuda was the Track and Field Championships last summer, which had crowd restrictions because of Covid.
“It felt like another meet in Bermuda when I was growing up, without many people there. This time it’s going to be different.”
Perinchief, 24, said he hopes to hit peak form this summer when the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham roll around.
“After the World Indoors, my coach [Travis Geopfert] and I talked for about three hours,” he added.
“I fouled a big jump, and we talked about how to put things together consistently while being behind the [take-off] board.
“It’s something I need to figure out, but I’m not too worried about it. I have so much trust in my coach.
“By the time the Worlds and the Commonwealths come about, I should be able to jump at least 17.30 consistently, which is my goal.”
The USATF Bermuda Games will be held on April 9, 2022 featuring a number of top international and local athletes, with the event set to be broadcast live by NBC Sports.
“We are excited to be the main sponsor for the first-ever USATF Bermuda Games,” said Natasha Scotland Courcy, SVP, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Athene Life Re. “We take immense pride in our role in helping to bring this prestigious event to Bermuda to showcase world class talent and to support Bermuda’s local track athletes, including the exposure that the youth will have on an elite stage.”
Tickets, which start at $20, are available now at bdatix.bm.
