‘Not a one-hit wonder’
High jumper Raymond Richards looking to better last season’s progress
Published:Tuesday | January 20, 2026 | 12:11 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
Jamaican high jumper and World Indoors bronze medallist Raymond Richards said last season’s campaign has proven he is not a “one-hit wonder” and is aiming to build on the progress that he made last year.
Richards had a strong 2025 season, where he picked up his first global medal when he finished third at the Nanjing World Athletics Indoor Championships.
He cleared the bar at 2.28 metres on his way to the podium, a feat he considers the biggest achievement of his career to date.
“I think getting that bronze medal at World Indoors was my biggest achievement, not just for last year, but for my whole career, actually,” he said.
Richards was left disappointed at the Tokyo World Championships, where, despite his lofty expectations, he failed to advance to the final.
He had recorded a best effort of 2.16 to finish 11th in his qualifying group, far below his usual standards.
Despite the disappointment, Richards said he has proven to himself that he is not a one-season wonder.
Over the past five years, he has consistently broken his personal best, moving from a mark of 2.10 in 2020 to a new lifetime best of 2.30 which he set last year.
During that time, he also picked up a national title in 2021, and has finished within the top three at every national championship since.
“I think my consistency was the biggest thing from last year,” he explained.
“I actually proved to myself and showed that I’m not just a one-hit wonder. I can be consistent, whether it is here or overseas.”
Richards is looking to build on the progress he has seen, and said he has already started to see some progress in his technique.
He, however, stated that improvements will only come in small increments, and in time, that will lead to better performances on a consistent basis.
“I’ve seen progression in my training so far. Small progressions, but small progressions lead to big progressions and big results,” he explained.
“So I’m just working on the small things to get better and better. Eventually, we have a big one. I can’t say I’m working towards a big meet, but I’m just working to be better than last season.”