Sakari Famous: ‘Biggest Stage Of My Career’
[Written by Stephen Wright]
High jumper Sakari Famous heads into the Commonwealth Games in top form after enjoying her best-ever collegiate season.
Famous, who transferred to McNeese University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, from the University of Georgia last year, has enjoyed a stellar campaign, achieving multiple personal bests and national records.
The 22-year-old jumped 1.84 metres to reach the NCAA Championships in May before finishing joint fifteenth at the pinnacle of collegiate competition a month later and insists there is more to come as she targets another PB in Birmingham.
“This has been my best collegiate year,” Famous told Bernews. “I’ve [benefitted] from a change of atmosphere and change of environment. I have to thank my coaches and great teammates.
“My goal was simply to jump higher this year, as I knew that would qualify me for the top competitions.
“To hit 1.84 was surprising. I must have hit multiple PBs in the space of six months. I just kept going up and up!”
Famous revealed she briefly contemplated quitting high jump before rediscovering her love for the sport.
“Some athletes go through that thought process when they think, ‘I’m not too sure about my event’,” she said.
“I went through that. I don’t think I was in the right environment for me. I was thinking, ‘Do I really want to do the high jump’.
“That was sad for me, but when I thought about stopping high jump, I was like, ‘OK, no’ because I felt completely sad. I knew I had to continue competing. I continue doing this because I love it.”
Famous said she is nervous and excited about testing herself against athletes such as Eleanor Patterson, of Australia, who won the recent World Championships with a jump of 2.02, and Morgan Lake, of England, who claimed silver at the previous Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
“I looked up to these guys when I started high jump,” said Famous, who qualified for Birmingham with an indoor leap of 1.80.
“This is a mind-blowing opportunity and the biggest stage of my career. It’s like, ‘wow, this is real’.
“I’ll be trying to enjoy the atmosphere too and get used to the bigger stage.”
You have performed incredibly over your career and have steadily improved young lady. Very amazed by your progress. Congratulations