Sometimes the most successful journeys begin unintentionally. For 17-year-old Carmen, her high jump whirlwind didn’t start with a lifelong dream or a polished plan – it started with a curious coach watching from the sidelines. Fast forward three years and her name now lines the top of national competition results.
Carmen Rose, a budding – excuse the pun – high jumper has only been in the sport for three years. At 14, while training with a group that did a bit of everything at Kingston AC, a coach – who was there to watch his own daughter – noticed her potential. In anticipation, he approached Carmen and her mum suggesting that high jump might be her ‘thing’. And from there, her focus on high jump began;
“I was really lucky he was there that day. It all just kind of snowballed from there.”
For this interview, I went to join Carmen during one of her training sessions at Kingston athletics track. There, I also met her coach, James Wild who serendipitously just so happens to have been supported by RPMF 25 years ago. Game knows game, hey?
Between hurdle drills, she told me that as she began to focus on high jump, her PB went from 1.45, to 1.60…to 1.80. All within 24 months. She’d surprised herself more than anything – that trajectory is far from typical. In the past 3 years, her technique and training has had to evolve to be able to manage the higher heights she is now eyeing up in competition. So this session enveloped fine-tuning details like run-up rhythm and short run-ups working on turning over the penultimate stride. There was also scissor-jumps which she explained allow her to practice standing tall during take off, instead of trying to clear the bar immediately.
Between jumps, we talked about how sometimes your technique has to get a little messy before it all fits in place again which she is learning to deal with, but with a positive mindset; “You start off just jumping over a bar, but then suddenly you’re breaking it down stride by stride. It’s really interesting how technical it actually is.”
Down at the track, I noticed the close-knit relationship between her training partners who she talked very highly of; she mentioned that “having a good team really makes training fun – and we push each other.” As with every event, a competitive environment rolls out the carpet for high performance, but naturally nerves is still something that Carmen says she battles with and is trying to work on. After a successful season last year, she’s feeling the pressure to beat that 1.80m PB;
“It’s weird – you’re competing against a bar, not just people. But I get quite competitive. I really want to beat people… and myself.”
A competitive mindset is a blueprint for always wanting more, so one can only imagine that this target isn’t far away, especially with her streak of 1.80m+ attempts this season. She has also become English Schools and English Champion this year and in 2024 too, which is building her confidence stride by stride.
2025 is also her first year with the support of RPMF which she talked about with such gratitude, not just because of the financial aspect but “the recognition, knowing people believe in me is really motivating as a young athlete”. Aware that it means a lot to her, she doesn’t want to just spend it on just anything;
“I want to put it towards something is really essential to me, so I’m saving up for some spikes at the moment!”
For us, as a charity, it is so rewarding to hear of attitudes like this because is the crux of what the fund was set up in memory of; Ron Pickering and his dedication to helping young athletes in impactful ways.
Off the track, nestled amongst conversations about Pedro Pascal, Harry Styles and Chelsea Women’s Football, we chatted about some of her favourite competitions like English Schools and UK School Games because they feel like a mini Olympics – moments that feel like manifesting the future. The potential of university also crept in – she is about to go into her final year of A-Levels where she is studying Classics, English Lit and Psychology.
Looking forward to the end of the season and into the next, Carmen’s main focuses are her mindset before and during competitions, or when things don’t go as planned. Confidence and composure come with experience, and at just 17, she’s already on the right track. With a few competitions still to come this season, consistently clearing that 1.80m mark also remains firmly in her sights.
It’s a quiet kind of joy, watching someone so young carry talent with intellect and gratitude, she knows it’s both a gift and a weight. Carmen’s certainly one to watch!
Written and photographed by Carmen Neat
