Jamaican long jumper Carey McLeod believes consistency and a clear mindset have been key to his growth from the high school circuit in Kingston to the global stage—and as he prepares for Friday’s Rome Diamond League, he says the focus remains on execution, not reinvention.

“If something’s working, you don’t change it—you just try to get better,” McLeod said at Wednesday’s pre-meet press conference. “That’s been the mindset from high school, to college, to now being a professional.”

McLeod, who won bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China in March, has been in strong form outdoors so far this season. He opened with a wind-aided 8.33m (+1.6) to win the adidas Atlanta City Games on May 17, then followed up with a wind-legal 8.23m (+0.7) victory at the Josef Odlozil Memorial in Prague on June 2.

Both results place him among the top long jumpers heading into the Rome leg of the Wanda Diamond League.

Reflecting on the developmental path that brought him here, McLeod credits the Jamaican school system—particularly the ISSA Boys and Girls’ Championships (Champs)—for laying the foundation.

“Growing up in Jamaica, we have one of the hardest championships. That moulded me going into college. Then in the NCAA, you’re competing against all age groups—seniors, freshmen—so you have to put on your big-boy pants. That really helped prepare me for the professional level.”

Now part of a growing crop of Jamaican field event athletes making waves internationally, McLeod says the shift in perception is both timely and important.

“Everyone gravitates more to sprints, but what we’re doing now in the field events is getting exciting. The marks we’re putting out are getting attention,” he said. “Jamaica is heading in the right direction. From a marketing perspective, we’re showing we’re not just a sprint country. We’re starting to dominate in field events too.”

While McLeod has also dabbled in sprinting—having featured on 4x100m teams in the past—he remains committed to pushing Jamaica’s field event image forward.

“It’s about showcasing other talents now. We’ve got the athletes and we’ve got the results. The energy around the jumps is building, and I’m happy to be a part of that.”

As the Diamond League heads to the Eternal City, McLeod enters Rome not just as a medal threat—but as part of a larger movement reshaping Jamaica’s track and field identity.