SINGAPORE – A year ago, national high jumper Kampton Kam was sitting beside the Leverone Field House track in tears.
Hampered by a heel injury, he failed to register a height and finished last at the United States’ Ivy League Indoor Track and Field Championships in Hanover, New Hampshire.
And it almost felt like deja vu on Feb 24 when the 22-year-old’s shoe fell apart a day before his event at the 2024 meet at Harvard University’s Gordon Indoor Track in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
However, with a calm mindset and roll of duct tape, he recorded a winning jump of 2.18m, just 2cm shy of his indoor national record of 2.20m set on Feb 10.
There was more joy for Kam when he learnt later that he had also qualified for his first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor track and field championships with his 2.20m effort.
However, the Singaporean had to endure a nail-biting weekend as other rivals were still competing in their respective conferences in an effort to make the top-16 field for the NCAA indoor meet.
Eventually, Kam’s personal best put him in tied-13th spot and through to the prestigious NCAA championships from March 7 to 9 in Boston.
Kam, a sophomore at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said: “To finally be able to do it was great. This season has been a work in progress since the Asian Games, and we have set our sights on winning Ivy League and qualifying for (NCAA).
“For me, this is a huge milestone. The NCAA is one of the pinnacles of track and field here.
“My teammates and my coach told me to keep my focus on the Ivy League. I had to... do my best and also try to secure a win. So that was a good double objective.”
He was lucky that his shoe held up as an earlier attempt to fix it with superglue failed.
“If I didn’t qualify for NCAA because of my shoe, I’d be so upset. So I got duct tape from my coach and constantly re-taped it (while competing). That was nerve-racking but I managed to think rationally.”
His composure helped him to clinch the win, ahead of John McNeil of Brown University (2.15m).
Kam vowed to give it his all at the NCAA meet. “It’s anyone’s game on the day. I just have to execute it well,” he said.
Assistant director of track and field at University of Pennsylvania, Joe Klim, said he was “proud” of Kam, adding: “It is extremely difficult for student-athletes to qualify for this meet.
“He has high goals... I hope to see him be who he has been during the season, in control of his emotions and having the confidence to jump at his ability.”
Kam added that his results in 2024, including an earlier indoor national record of 2.15m set on Jan 27, have been encouraging.
“This year is about learning from last year and focusing on what I can do instead of things out of my control,” he explained. “I’m always looking to improve myself.”
