High jumper Emma Kimoto is excited about kicking off her outdoor season at the Bermuda Invitational Permit Meet in two weeks’ time.

The Canadian didn’t need to think twice about it when she got the invitation to return to Bermuda, ten months after breaking the six-foot barrier during her personal best of 1.85 metres (6ft 0.834in) here at the National Championships.

Kimoto will be one of four competitors for the high jump, including Saniel Atkinson of Jamaica and Tynita Butts of the United States who have personal best jumps of 1.87 (6ft 1.622in) and 1.91 (6ft 3.196in).

The fourth competitor on the evening of April 22 will be Bermuda’s Sakari Famous who recently jumped 1.77 metres (5ft 9.685in) to win the Carifta Games bronze medal in Grenada. At just 15, Famous will be the youngest competitor in the meet which will feature several Olympic qualifiers and hopefuls from overseas, along with top Bermuda athletes.

“Words cannot begin to describe how excited I am to return to Bermuda,” said Kimoto, 24, a 2013 graduate from Indiana University. “I was really hoping that I would be asked back to compete there and when I got the e-mail I did not even hesitate to book my flight over.”

Kimoto formed a friendship with the Berkeley student during the competition and was hoping to come back this year for the National Championships.

“It was really exciting to be competing alongside someone as talented as Sakari because she is so young and has a lot of potential to excel in this sport,” Kimoto said.

“She is definitely one to look out for. She will continue to have a lot of success in her future.

“One of the many reasons I am excited to come back to Bermuda is because I jumped my personal best of 1.85 metres at the meet last year. It is very special to me to have a photo of me clearing the jump because prior to that I did not have any video or photos of me jumping my best height.

“It is something that I look back very fondly on because that height I cleared was able to qualify me for the Pan American Games last summer.”

Kimoto has her sights set on reaching the qualifying standard for the Olympic Games in Rio this summer and is hoping for a good start in Bermuda where this crowd is expected to be much bigger than the one last year.

“This year I am opening up my outdoor season with this meet so I am excited to see what happens,” she stated. “I actually know one of the girls from Jamaica [Atkinson] who will be competing and its always fun for me to jump with my friends.

“I continue to train with my same coach from university, Jeff Huntoon. I have not reached the Olympic qualifying mark yet but there is a lot of time to and I am thankful that I get to open up my season in Bermuda.”