… sets PB in first triple jump outing for UTEP

GUYANA’S Chantoba Bright was named the Conference USA Female Field Athlete-of-the-Week following her leap of 12.77 metres – a personal-best in the triple jump.
In her first meet, competing in the triple jump, Bright got off on the right foot erasing her old mark of 12.60 metres at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.

Bright, who is on a full scholarship at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One School the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), now ranks 30th across the USA in the triple jump and second in the conference after her first attempt. Bright also ranks sixth all-time in the UTEP record book.

“My season was off to a slow start. I was frustrated because I wasn’t getting the results I was working for. Nevertheless I continued working hard with my coach. After every competition we went back to the books and made adjustments that led to this achievement,” Bright told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview.

The former Mackenzie High School student said she started her season off with a distance of 5.90m in the long jump and is ranked 49th nationally in the vent and 30th in the triple jump. She’s also ranked fourth in her conference in the long jump and second in the triple jump.

Bright’s 12.77m is also the sixth best distance in the school’s history and according to the Victory Valley resident, “As a freshman this is a big achievement since the season just started and I’m overwhelmed but this is only the beginning of greater things to come as I continue to be humble and work hard to make my country, parents and myself proud.”
“As I prepare to compete in conference USA next week I’m looking forward to producing better results than the previous ones and scoring for my team and hopefully to make it to NCAA as a freshman,” the soft-spoken athlete stated.

The diminutive athlete is known for her academic achievements as much as her exploits in the triple and long jump.
At the 2016 CARIFTA Games Bright won silver in the triple and the long jump. In 2017 she won gold in the long jump and bronze in the triple jump. In 2018, she won gold in the long jump, bronze in the triple jump and silver in the 4×400 relay.

At the IAAF World U-18 Championships last year, in Kenya, she finished fifth, while at the South American U-20 Championships, she won gold in the long jump and bronze in the triple jump.

Bright’s PB in long jump is 6.30m and she also dabbled in high jump where her best height cleared was 1.65 metres.
With several Nationals’ records to her name, Bright is noted to be one of Guyana’s brightest prospects ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games.