Battle-hardened high jumper Kampton Kam targets SEA Games gold

SINGAPORE – For the first time in over five years, national high jumper Kampton Kam is looking at an injury- and incident-free journey to the SEA Games – and keeping his fingers crossed that it stays that way – after missing out on the last few editions.

After his debut at the 2019 Games in the Philippines, Kam, 23, missed the Hanoi edition in 2022 due to surgery for a collapsed lung.

A year later, he could not compete in Cambodia as the competition coincided with his examinations at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Ahead of the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand from Dec 9 to 20, Kam has been given a clean bill of health – and he capitalised on it by bettering his own indoor national record en route to winning the high jump title at the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championships on March 2.

At Cornell University’s Barton Hall in Ithaca, New York, Kam’s 2.21m effort saw him retain his Ivy League title ahead of nine other competitors.

His effort was also 1cm above his record-breaking jump at the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational in February 2024.

It was also his third victory of the season, following triumphs at the Philadelphia Metro meet on Feb 21 and Penn Classic on Feb 8.

Speaking to The Straits Times on March 3, Kam said: “I have been chasing this record for a year now and to finally hit it, there was a mix of relief and joy.

“It has been a tough few years for sure. I came into the meet feeling apprehensive after a few niggling injuries and I must say that I surprised myself with the result.

“Since this meet last year, I had been nursing an injury which was really frustrating. I don’t take for granted that I feel good and I hope to stay injury-free.”

After the 2024 Ivy League meet, Kam was hit by sesamoiditis, which is an inflammation of the bones in the ball of the foot and tendons. It ruled him out of several meets in the outdoor season and he recovered fully only in January.

Last October, he also had to deal with stress issues in his wrist and back after falling in the gym while jumping over a 54-inch plyometrics box.

Now, he is working his way back to his best and, after setting the indoor mark, Kam is eyeing the 30-year-old national outdoor record of 2.22m set by Wong Yew Tong at the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

That silver medal was also the last time a male high jumper finished on the podium at the Games.

Kam, whose outdoor personal best is 2.20m, has already qualified for the year-end Games and wants to end Singapore’s medal drought.

At the 2023 edition in Phnom Penh, Thailand’s Tawan Kaeodam clinched the gold after leaping 2.27m, with Vietnam’s Vu Duc Anh (2.17m) and Malaysia’s Farrell Felix (2.15m) claiming silver and bronze.

Kam, who finished seventh in 2019, said: “Representing Singapore is always a privilege and I want to go back to the SEA Games and win a gold medal. It is long overdue and I hope to be the one to do it. I am working hard to keep improving.”

Former women’s high jump record holder Yu Long Nyu, who has been coaching Kam since he was nine, is backing him to do well in Thailand.

She said: “Kampton felt stressed and frustrated with the injuries, but the supporting team has worked with him physically and mentally as well.

“His patience has paid off and he is progressing slowly but steadily.

“The SEA Games medal has always been a target goal ever since he has jumped 2.20m years back.

“There has been a few 2.20m jumpers in the South-east Asia region now, but we are definitely one of the strong medal potentials.”