Jah-Nhai Perinchief Reflects On Medal Win
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Jah-Nhai Perinchief has reflected on his silver medal-winning performance at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Association Senior Championships in the Bahamas at the weekend.
The triple jumper claimed silver with a leap of 15.89 metres in his third attempt at the Grand Bahamas Sports Complex in Freeport.
It capped off a fine maiden season as a professional athlete for Perinchief, who clinched bronze with a jump of 16.92 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier this month.
Perinchief said he was thrilled to come away with another medal, especially considering the less-than-perfect conditions in the Bahamas.
“It’s been a long hard season, and sometimes, even when you’re not feeling your best, you still have to compete,” he told Bernews.
“In my series, I had the worst wind. I was the only jumper with a negative three [headwind].
“I’m pretty light, so no matter how fast I run and how hard I push it, when that thing’s blowing, it’s slowing me down.
“The key to triple jump is maintaining speed, so it was pretty hard.
“You don’t always get perfect conditions, but the main thing is to go out there and compete.”
The 24-year-old believes he laid sturdy foundations in his first season as a professional and expects to build on his success next year.
“Coaches DeVon Bean and Gerry Swan were telling me that nobody [in the future] will look at your distance; they will look through the history books and see if you won a medal,” added Perinchief, who finished behind gold-medal winner Chris Bernard, of the United States, who jumped 16.40.
“I know what I need to work on for next year and build off that. I’ve had a really good first year, which is usually hard for athletes.
“Transitioning into my second year, I should be able to knock down some big things.”
