Another meet, another national mark for jumper Rozario
National jumper Tia Rozario has moved her record-breaking feats outdoors after a successful indoor season that saw the 23-year-old break four national marks in the triple and long jump in 2024.
Competing in the Duke Invitational on April 13, Rozario leapt 13.01m at the Morris Williams Stadium to better her national triple jump record of 12.92m set at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in 2023.
She finished first – 0.64m ahead of Kent State’s Lanee Hall (12.37m) in second.
North Carolina Central University’s Micah Fulton was third (12.32m).
Her achievement comes a week after her 13.05m jump at the VertKlasse Meeting, though it was not recorded owing to the tailwinds exceeding limits.
Rozario said in a phone interview from North Carolina: “I was very excited to break the 13m barrier.
“It’s obviously been something I’ve been working on for a long time, and it’s a milestone.
“For triple jumpers, being able to say that you met that 13m mark is a goal that many have, so I’m very thankful to achieve that.
“Jumping in the 13m range is something that shows you’re competitive in South-east Asia and Asia, so ever since I started, that was definitely a goal I knew I had to reach, to even have a chance to be competitive in the region.”
She is also happy to take her record-breaking form outdoors.
She added: “Competing outdoors is definitely very exciting for me especially because growing up in Singapore, I love the sun and heat so having that to my advantage is definitely enjoyable.
“I’ve been super happy with my performances, it’s definitely the most consistent and best-performing season that I’ve had by far.”
She plans to return to Singapore after completing her master’s degree in biomedical science at Duke University in May but has yet to decide on where she will train.
While Rozario is still some way off from the 2025 SEA Games qualifying distance of 13.46m, she is not too concerned about meeting the mark, noting that she is “on a good trajectory”.
National jumps coach Valeri Obidko, who previously coached Rozario for four years, said: “I am very happy for her to get the achievement.
“I haven’t seen her for about eight years. We’ll reconnect in June or July, then see what we can do ahead of the Games.”
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