Discus thrower Tiara DeRosa set a national record of 51.03 metres during the Bermuda National Athletics Association meet at Flora Duffy Stadium on Sunday.

DeRosa’s first attempt of 50.64 on a windy day saw her surpass her previous record of 50.07, set at the national championships last June. The thrower, who has already qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, this summer, also registered efforts of 45.95 and 50.21.

“When I broke the record on my first throw I had to calm down and try to go for a decent series,” DeRosa told The Royal Gazette.

“I couldn't get too overexcited and have so much adrenalin when I still had more throws left. I was eager to see how far I could go and I managed to get to 51 metres, so it’s all looking good for me.

“We did a total of four throws and I had no competition. It was just myself against the wind. The wind was crazy and I had to use that skill of how to throw into the wind.

“The wind can either help you or destroy your throws, so if you know how to use the wind, it can help you.”

The 27-year-old attributed her continued progress to a rigorous training regime. She indicated that she has been following that programme after representing Bermuda at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association Senior Championships, in Bahamas last year.

“I train every day,” she said.

“I started doing two sessions, early mornings and early evenings. That was right after NACAC in August that we started training for the next season.

“It was literally the day after NACAC. I didn’t really have a break at all, we went on and then took a break.

“I dropped down to just evening sessions and really dialled in on my technique and made sure that was flawless. I studied other throwers, especially the pros, picking out some things that I could copy and making my own, I believe Sunday was the result of all that work.”

As she gears up for the Commonwealth Games, where she finished eleventh in 2022, the national record holder is planning to compete overseas.

“Right now I have a couple of more meets set up,” DeRosa said.

“We’re planning on going to Oklahoma in May, to Romania, possibly the Canadian Nationals and our own national championships. There’s also some open collegiate level tournaments that I could compete in, so that’s how I’m going to prepare for it competition-wise.

“I have some camps and stuff set up for me to travel throughout the summer to prepare for the Commonwealth Games as well.”

DeRosa has been working with her coaches, Gerry Swan and Terry-Lynn Paynter, together with Jermal Woolridge, the fitness coach.

Swan is pleased with the commitment shown by DeRosa to her throwing career.

“Tiara is a student of the sport,” the former national coach said.

“She analyses and studies herself, plus compares analysis. I’m pleased with the progress that has been made over the past few months, she has been working at improving her strength, along with technique, work and flexibility.”

During the time Swan has worked with DeRosa, she has cleared the 50-metre mark four times.

“I’ve been working for maybe the better part of the past year with Tiara, just trying to help her, along with Terry-Lynn Paynter,” Swan said.

“I’ve been providing some assistance, some guidance with her training and technique. Last June, at the national championships, she cleared 50 metres for the very first time.

“She had never thrown the discus 50 metres before that throw at the national championships. On Sunday, she surpassed that distance, three out of the four throws that she did, so it’s a good start to the season.

“We want to see where things are at. She’s been doing some good things in training, although we still have some work to do as we build and prepare her to compete at the Commonwealth Games, but felt she was in a good position to get a decent start to the 2026 season.”