Kimberly Jess of Germany on her way to victory in the Final of the Women's High Jump (© Getty Images)
Keen ballerina Kimberly Jess had her rivals dancing to her tune in the high jump at the World Junior Championships on Thursday.
The 16-year-old German surprised herself after narrowly winning a tight competition in which each of the top four recorded a best of 1.86m.
Jess, who lives in Büdelsdorf, in Northern Germany, near the border with Denmark, was initially only seeking to make the final.
Unexpected to win
“I was surprised to win. I felt it was going to be close so I thought I had to succeed at my first attempts and that’s what I did,” she said.
But Jess, who was only eighth in last year’s World Youth Championships, is not totally focused on high jump.
Explaining that her hobby of ballet helps with body co-ordination, which is good for the high jump, she attends classes twice a week and added: “Every two years we have a performance so twice a week we practise and we have people to watch.”
She was hoping to take ballet much more seriously until she reached the age of 12 and realised she would be too tall. She may be too tall for ballet, but she is relatively short for a high jumper at 1.81m (5ft 11in). World No.1 Blanka Vlasic is 1.92m, for instance.
Coached by grandfather
For that reason, she picks out 2005 World champion as her idol, partly because the Swede is only 1.77m (5ft 9in). “I like Kajsa Bergvqist,” she said. “I like the way that she jumps. She is about the same height as me and that is why I like her. My style is the same hers, very fast.”
Jess is coached by her grandfather, Erwin Jeschke, who was watching from the stands, along with her grandmother. She began jumping at age eight. “I had fun so I went back to do it again,” she said.
Jess, who has PBs of 1.88m outdoors and 1.90m indoors, has also amassed 5092 for the heptathlon and long jumped 5.92m.
Her success has come despite not enjoying the best of training facilities. She has to brave the cold North German winters to train because her nearest indoor track is 100km away in Hamburg, to which she travels only about twice a month to practise in the warm.
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Paul Halford for the IAAF
