Kempton Park jumper Kenneth Phooko is happy with his performance at the World Athletics Junior Championships in Eugene, insisting that the work for the 2028 competition starts now.

“My mind is definitely there. We are going to start preparing for 2028 now,” he told Benoni City Times shortly after his arrival at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday night (August 11).

Phooko will be 19 when the next junior athletics global showpiece takes place and believes the experience he gained in Eugene, where his journey ended in the qualifiers after clearing 2.05m, will prove valuable at the next championship.

“The experience was good – first-time experience. It was fun. The competition felt good. It felt amazing. I think if I just had a bit more practice, I could have gone further,” he said.

The 2.20m jumper had to watch Algeria’s Younes Ayachi grab gold with a 2.21m clearance, a height that is within Phooko’s range, while India’s Basant Kumar Meghwal and Great Britain’s Otis Poole shared second and third with the same clearance.

But the Hoërskool Jeugland learner, who cleared 2.20m for the first time at the SA High Schools Championships at Pilditch Stadium in May, admitted rust may have played a role in his sub-par performance after going into the world championships having not competed for more than two months.

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“I think if we just had more competitions before this, there could have been a better chance of making it further.”

While this is no excuse, Phooko and his teammates were always going to find it tough competing against the majority of athletes who are in the middle of their track and field season, with the South African season having concluded in May, when the jumper showed just how much potential he has.

He went into the championships in the form of his life, having cleared over 2m on six occasions, including his massive 2.20m lifetime best at the schools championships and 2.15m to finish behind Brendan Poole at the SuperSport Simbine Classic. He also cleared 1.90m twice and 1.95m once.

While Eugene was disappointing, it is the lessons that matter for the Central Gauteng athlete, who has drawn inspiration from hurdler Tumi Ramokgopa, whose disappointment at the Lima championships in 2024 propelled her to success at Hayward Field.

“The first lesson is to just go out and enjoy the experience. Second of all, when you compete, be ready for anything that can happen,” said Phooko.

For now, Phooko will take a well-deserved break before beginning his preparations for the Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa (COSSASA) Games in Zimbabwe later this month.

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