Estonian native Karmen Bruus will be a medal contender for the Tigers this spring.
2022 World Junior Champion high jumper Karmen Bruus will join the Missouri track and field program this spring. Her 1.96m PR is the Estonian record and world U18 best.
If Bruus even matches her 2024 season best (1.89m), she will shatter the Missouri high jump program record, which has stood at 1.86m since 1989.
World U18 best! ✨
Only 17, Karmen Bruus equals the world U18 high jump best with a second-time clearance at 1.96m at the #WorldAthleticsChamps.
She was only seventh at the European U18 Championships earlier this month. pic.twitter.com/ooD5ygcnyd
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 20, 2022
In addition to her accolades, Missouri jumps coach Iliyan Chamov complimented Bruus’ character and intelligence.
“She is one of the best students I’ve ever met coming out of high school,” Chamov said.
According to her Red Bull athlete bio, Bruus “likes to read books and discover new places. She finds that both adventure and literature provide her with an opportunity to switch off from everyday life and truly rest.”
Chamov also highlighted Bruus’ humility, noting she’s not an athlete who cares about the “shiny” stuff, but rather lets her talent speak for itself.
Initially though, the 19-year-old from Estonia didn’t have any ambitions to commit to a program in the United States.
But she changed course.
In an interview with Estonian Public Broadcasting on September 2, Bruus’ Estonian coach Kersti Viru said Bruus was looking for a “change of scenery.”
She found one in Missouri.
While most recruitment journeys take years, Chamov said he connected with Bruus only last January (2024).
They had several long conversations about her goals and interests, and after a few weeks Bruus called Chamov saying she made a clear decision.
She wanted to be a Tiger.
Bruus’ commitment builds upon the jumps program’s legacy of recruiting talented international student-athletes. Bruus will train with new signee Jonathan Seremes from France who won bronze at the U20 World Championship in 2018.
“She is not going to be a fish out of water,” Chamov said.
But she will demand attention at meets.
One World Athletics broadcaster described Bruus as a “sensational” competitor.
Stay tuned for January for the young phenom’s debut in black and gold.