3 months ago
16
Jamaican triple jumper Jordan Scott said a major difference to his performances this season has been a shift in mindset which he gained after his experiences of competing at the international level.
Scott, the three-time triple jump national champion, has seen a marked improvement in his distances this year as he set a new personal best of 17.27 metres last month at the Xiamen Diamond League.
He explained his impressive form in the sand pit has been the result of a renewed focus in his mindset towards his career.
“I haven’t had the best of luck at a lot of these events over the last couple years and I always wondered why. I started putting blame elsewhere when in reality, a lot of the blame should be on me,” Scott told The Gleaner.
“What I learned from competing internationally is that you get as much as you give. You can’t give 50 per cent and then expect 100 per cent when you get to difficult situations.
“I think it took a while for me to fully process that and it is something I hold coming into this season. It is about understanding that you can’t expect miracles.”
His change in mindset is due to his personal ambitions of being among the best in the sport and to be able to earn well from his career.
Scott has competed for Jamaica at several international competitions such as the Olympic Games, the World Championships and the World Indoor Championships.
He said he hoped to dedicate his full focus on the triple jump, but will only be able to do so once he is earning well from the sport.
“I don’t think that I am the most dialled-in athlete that I can be at this point in time. I think that comes from the fact that currently, I haven’t earned much in track and field.
“I think this year, God willing, can set me up to start earning well or earning enough to survive and I think once I can wholeheartedly lock in on track and field, I will only get better.”
He continued, “I think that my success in track and field will come from my ability to be 100 per cent in it and I have been setting myself up to be in a good spot to earn well.”
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Scott said much of his focus this year has been on securing a spot on the Jamaican contingent for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.
Having already secured the qualification standard, Scott said the focus now will be on staying healthy and competitive as the championship draws closer.
“It is a long season and we’re going all the way up to September,” he said. “The upside to jumping this early and getting the qualification standard is that we can start to adjust our training so we’re not as pressured,” Scott said.
He added that he has now got the most important thing out of the way (qualification standard) and he will now look to fine-tune his performance with the World Athletics Championships in mind.
English (US) ·