MONTEGO BAY, St James — After ‘getting his feet wet’ at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain last year, Wolmers’ Boys’ Christoff Bryan, has an idea what to expect this year when he takes part in the IAAF World Youth Championships (WYC) set for early July in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Bryan, who will be 17 in April, is one of the rare talents that get the opportunity to compete at the older global age-group event before taking part in the lower age-group, and says his focus this season will be the WYC.

He was 12th in his group in Barcelona after clearing 2.10m and failed to advance to the final, but the experience will serve him well later this year.

After retaining his title at the Milo Western Relays on Saturday at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, Bryan, who cleared 2.15m, the same height he cleared in his first meet, the Queen Grace Jackson meet, says he is still working on his run-up and other technical areas of this event.

Bryan, who set his personal best 2.20m while winning at the Western Relays last year, told the Jamaica Observer he is also dealing with a physical setback, a “slightly strained hamstring” that caused him to miss two weeks of training.

“I am not as strong as I was at this stage last year,” he said, but added he would be ready for the ISSA Boys Champs in less than a month where he will start favourite to win in his first year in Class One.

Champs, he said, will not be his main focus. “Champs will be part of the preparation for me this year with the focus being on the World Youths,” Bryan said.

Two weeks after Champs, Bryan should be in the Bahamas for the CARIFTA Games where he is expected to continue his impressive run of gold medal wins.