Sakari Famous will not be fazed by the big occasion when she steps out to compete in the high jump at tonight’s Bermuda Invitational Permit Meet at the National Stadium.

Famous, 16, will be the youngest of the more than 70 athletes on show, but she is up for the challenge of competing against Tynita Butts from the United States, Jamaica’s Saniel Atkinson-Grier and Emma Kimoto from Canada, against whom Famous competed in last year’s Bermuda National Championships.

“I can’t wait, I’ve been waiting all week for this,” said the Berkeley student. “I just want to jump high and just watch the other girls jump and see their technique.

“It’s going to be great looking at their technique and asking them questions, how they got to where they are now.”

Famous, who brought a bronze medal back from the Carifta Games in Grenada, wants to produce a good showing in front of what will be a big crowd.

“I’ve done 1.77 metres [5ft 9in] but in training I was able to do 1.79 ([5ft 10in] and right now my goal is 1.83 [6ft] because I’m trying to qualify for the World Junior Championships in Poland.

“I really want to go to Poland in July and that is going to take a lot of focus and hard work.”

The 6ft barrier was cleared by Kimoto here last year while Butts, who has a personal best of 1.91, and Atkinson-Grier, 1.87, will also be aiming to raise the bar tonight.

Like many Bermuda athletes, Famous has a second sport, basketball, and yesterday she had other “business” to attend to, namely receiving a sponsorship at a luncheon put on by Bermuda Government for recipients of their National Junior Athlete Sponsorship Programme.

The Bermuda Basketball Association received $5,144 which will go towards Famous’s trip to Florida for an IMG Academy camp this summer.

Famous hopes to play collegiate level basketball. In 2013 and 2014 she was a member of the Dellwood Middle School Bermuda School Sports Federation championship team and was voted MVP. She was also voted the BSSF MVP in 2015 for Varsity basketball.

In 2014 Famous was part of the Bermuda Under-14 team that travelled to the global Cup Tournament in Florida where they placed fourth.

“Basketball is nice but right now I’m really trying to focus on high jump,” she said.

“I hear stories about people who try to do high jump and basketball, that it’s a very tight schedule and I’m probably going to have to choose one. Righty now it’s high jump because it’s cool and that’s what I like.

“I hope to continue to play basketball. It’s the basketball that is helping the high jump, because you are always exploding and using strength.”

Famous was too young to compete in the 2012 Carifta Games when the National Stadium was packed for the weekend event.

This could be one of the biggest crowds she has competed in front of.

“Yeah, this is probably going to be the biggest for me, can’t wait,” she said. “For me it doesn’t matter, for high jump it’s about focusing and concentrating. I’m really hoping for a good day.”