February 2009
Well I've had a typical athletes month its had its ups and its certainly had its downs!
On the plus side I won the AAA`s indoor championships for a record 6th time which is something I am very proud of. It is important for me and all British athletes to show good form at our national championships because we are British and have to show our support to the sport.
The indoor season is a great opportunity for Long Jumpers to work towards refining their techniques and I tried making the most of this, despite injury problems to my achillies heel which I picked up. I had been working on the hitchkick(cycling of the legs in the air) with my new coach Frank Attoh. The idea is to prevent the athlete falling forward in the sand and getting the legs out as far in front of them as possible to get a good leg shoot. Unfortunately I was struggling to get this and with the injury problems that had occurred I decided to go back to my usual hang technique.
Being injured is the toughest thing any sports person can go through as your body will not allow you to do what you want. I believe that it is a test of your character and all true champions have to overcome it. I personally use Kelly Holmes as my inspiration as she had to wait till she was 34 to finally full fill her dreams and spent many years battling injuries. As a young sportsperson it can be even tougher as you have so many other commitments in your life, let alone enjoying your life! When I was a junior athlete I had many friends who had great talent but dropped out and when I speak to them now they have so many regrets and ask themselves why? Most of the time they come up with poor answers and excuses while those who pursued their dreams have seen the world and been to the Olympic Games.
I am sure you to will have injuries and disappointments in your sporting careers but it really is the test of a true champion to dig deep and battle on, there is no better feeling than pushing those boundaries and fulfilling your dreams.
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