Tarik Batchelor

National long jump champion, Tarik Batchelor, believes the competitive environment which exists in the United States is much more conducive to the development of jumpers than those found locally.

"Those guys abroad really know how to compete and every week you have to go out there and perform as hard as you can," Batchelor said.

"I think the jump is a testimony to that, as everybody who goes abroad and competes in the jumps tend to improve so much."

He added: "The college system abroad is really hectic and that is what has really helped me. Those guys abroad jump further than what I have been doing and it has pushed me and I think that is why I am improving so much. I think it is a really good system abroad if you want to do jumps."

a personal best

The former Kingston College man registered a wind-aided opening round jump of 8.17m (+2.1m/s) to win the long jump at the just-concluded Jamaica Athletics Administrative Associations/Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships.

"I put everything into that jump and it all came together," Batchelor shared.

"I am really pleased with my performance; I have been working hard this year," he added.

His fifth jump of 8:05m represented a personal best, but he is cognisant that he still needs to achieve the IAAF World Championships 'B' standard qualifying mark of 8.10m if he is to make it to this year's Championship.

"I still have to jump 8.10m to go to the World Championships; preferably I could do it at the CAC Games coming up in July, so we will see how it goes," Batchelor said.

"The aim is to make it to the World Championships and I think I am right there, I have the jump and I have the ability to do it, I just need to execute," he added.

The 2011 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships long jump winner has been working hard at correcting a few technical flaws.

"My biggest technical challenge is that when I jump I normally go high instead of going forward, but I have worked really hard on that over the past two to three weeks and it is improving," he disclosed.