Long jumper Reinaldo Rodrigues has improved by leaps and bounds since coming to Arizona

Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Arizona sophomore jumper Reinaldo Rodrigues did not have access to many of the accessories that the UA athletic department provides.

“We didn’t have pavements, we didn’t have a place to practice,” Rodrigues said.

Many collegiate athletes only have a finite amount of resources before arriving on campus — often leading to a “sophomore surge” after being exposed to new and upgraded amenities for a year.

With Rodrigues exclusively jumping outdoors throughout his time competing in Rio, he took the bad with the good and reaped the benefits — an advantage that helped the rising sophomore win the long jump at the Island Relays in the Bahamas on Saturday. His best leap of the day was 7.56 meters (24 feet, 9.75 inches).

“I didn’t have (as many) facilities as I have here — the track, the training room and a lot of materials to work with — so I think that I was able to work on the small stuff and get more prepared to achieve more PRs,” Rodrigues said.

“That made me (able) to adapt to different situations and put in the work, even though (I) didn’t have the tools.”

Rodrigues said not having as many resources “made me stronger.”

Rodrigues has not only conquered the adversity of his hardships but has grown in the process.

“The more he felt confident in his approach,” UA assistant coach Bobby Carter said of Rodrigues, “that’s what you saw out on the runway — you saw that confidence piece like, ‘Hey, I can do this coming from a different country, taking what I learned from there and taking from what I’ve learned in the United States and putting it together and creating something special.’ ”

Rodrigues and the Wildcats head into their first home meet of the season this week, the Willie Williams Classic at Drachman Stadium, slated for Friday and Saturday.

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It’s typically a culture shock coming into a new country, but Rodrigues, in just his second year, became an inspiration to his team.

“He said, ‘Coach, I’m really focused and I’m dialed in. This is really important to me. I’m very grateful,’ ” Carter said.

“And a lot of our athletes see that. That’s where they’re getting that learning environment from, just watching him and how he carries himself.”

Last year saw Rodrigues just miss the cut for Brazil for the world championships, finishing in fourth place.

“I want to qualify for the world championships,” he said. “I want to jump 8 meters.”

“He will be in the (world championships) at some point,” Carter said. “That’s the standard.”

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