ATHENS, Georgia, (CMC) – Bermuda’s former CARIFTA Games star Sakari Famous has secured her maiden collegiate title in the United States and is looking forward to even bigger and better things.

The University of Georgia freshman won the women’s high jump with a leap of 1.78 metres on her third and final attempt at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial in Athens at the weekend.

“I’m really grateful for my results this past meet,” said Famous, who won six medals during her CARIFTA career.

“I wasn’t aware of my position until the very end when they announced my name before I was about to jump, so I was really excited on the inside but had to stay focused on my jump, which secured my position.

“It has been a bit of a struggle these past few months, but I can say that I’m slowly but surely improving. I appreciate all of the support and positive encouragement that I have received and looking forward to jumping higher heights in future competitions.”

“It was a special moment as it was my first win in a collegiate meet. My focus is more on improving my height, which would put me in a better position to compete in higher level competitions,” added Famous, who missed the chance of final CARIFTA glory as university commitments meant she was unable to join the Bermuda team for this year’s renewal in the Cayman Islands.

In her absence, Bermuda won six medals.

Bermuda National Athletics Association president Donna Raynor said was delighted Famous has achieved another milestone in her career.

“I’ m happy to see that things are falling into place,” Raynor said. “First place at any competition in university is a great result. I look forward to her competing for Bermuda this summer. We are hoping to send her to the University Games in Naples, Italy, and the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.”

Bermuda jumping coach Rohaan Simons said Famous’ ability to overcome challenges spoke volumes about her character.

“I’m really excited because obviously it’s about the journey and sometimes things don’t go your way,” he said.

“It’s going to show what type of person you are; are you going to blame others for your failure or push forward and work harder to improve on the things you need to improve. That’s the stage she’s at now.”