Jah-Nhai Perinchief capped an impressive showing at the IAAF World Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland yesterday after placing seventh among the thirteen competitors in the final of the high jump.

The Iowa Central student produced his best leap of the meet after clearing the bar at 2.18 metres in the final.

However, it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the podium.

Still, Donna Raynor, the Bermuda National Athletics Association president, said Bermuda should be “proud” of Perinchief’s latest exploits on the world stage.

“We are very pleased and proud of Jah-Nhai as he placed seventh in the world and ranked in the top ten in the world in his event,” Raynor said. “He has had a very long season but a very successful one.”

“As you know Bermuda has a history of jumpers, high, long and triple jump and Jah-Nhai is keeping the trend going. Our hat goes off to his coach Rohaan [Simons, the national jumping coach] who has assisted in getting him to where he is today. They have a great partnership.

“Jah-Nhai will be getting ready for university soon and I have no doubt after his season he will be able to pick and choose where he wants to go.

“I have no doubt 2020 Olympic Games is in his plans and he will be one of the world’s best high jumpers.”

Perinchief reached the final of the high jump with a leap of 2.16.

He went into the championships joint-top of the world under-20 high jump list with a personal best and Bermuda junior record leap of 2.26, which he achieved at April’s KT Woodman Classic at the Wichita University in Kansas. That record leap was just three centimetres shy of the Olympic standard.

Luis Enrique Zayas, of Cuba, won yesterday’s high jump final with a leap of 2.27, the highest at the Under-20 level this year. Darius Carbin, of the United States, finished second with a personal best leap of 2.25, and Mohamat Allamine Hamdi, of Qatar, was third with a leap of 2.23, which was also a personal best.