New high for jumping champ

WENDOUREE Athletics Club high jumper Yual Reath has become the thirteenth best in the world after taking out the Oceania Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji.

The senior men’s high jump was an Australian clean sweep, with Reath jumping 2.28 metres to take first place abover Roman Anastasios and Joel Baden, both 2.25 metres.

“The competition was pretty good, it was nice and warm,” said Reath. “That’s when I perform pretty good, when the weather’s warm.

“Once I got in, I was moving really well, jumping pretty good and every height up until 2.28 I cleared first jump.”

Reath said this ranking has him positioned well in the lead up to the Paris Olympics in July.

“It feels really good, and it makes things easier now because my points are also equal with number 12,” he said.

“I feel like I’m in a pretty comfortable spot. We are doing winter training, doing weights for two or three weeks.”

Reath is the current Australian National Champion and set his personal best of 2.30 metres in Melbourne earlier this year.

He said he hopes to beat this record soon.

“My attempt at 2.31 was such a good jump and everything made it over,” he said. “Then the ankles just had to give it a tap on the way down.

“It has just left me so hungry and now I’m just itching for a competition because now I know I can fly over 2.31.”

The Olympic team is expected to be selected in early July.