Lamara Distin continues to deliver with new coach

Commonwealth Games high jump champion Lamara Distin is seeing early signs of success so far in the season, as with a new direction in coaching, she looks to continue the momentum gained from last year.

Distin is fresh off her Southeastern Conference Indoor Championship win, with a height of 1.95 metres last weekend, maintaining her unbeaten start to the indoor season.

Distin's strong campaign this year has also been highlighted by breaking the national indoor record twice in February for sole ownership of the outdoor and indoor high jump records.

Distin under the direction of Sean Brady last season, captured both the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles, broke the national outdoor record, made her first senior World Championships team, reached her first major global final and won her first major title at the Commonwealth Games.

This year, Distin has had to change coach with Brady's departure, however, the early results have given her reasons to be encouraged and optimistic for the rest of the year.

"As I'm working with a new coach now, a few components of my training have changed, thus things will undoubtedly alter. I have faith in his preparation, and the way the season has started thus far has me feeling extremely good," Distin told STAR Sports.

Distin soared to 1.94 metres on February 5 to set the new national mark and improved the record on February 11 to 1.97, identical to the outdoor record she claimed in April.

She hopes, after a year in which she broke new ground for herself, to reach the mark of two metres this season, a feat she wanted to make in the latter part of last season.

Distin is trusting the process and her growth in reaching the standard while being convinced that it will eventually happen.

"With the way my season is going right now, I think I'll jump two metres or higher pretty soon. I'm being patient, and I have faith that it will happen when the time is right. God has set the timing, not me. It will come since I'm working so hard and believing in my ability," Distin said.

Distin's focus turns to preparations to retain her title at the NCAA's National Indoor Championships starting on March 10.