Morgan Lake talks coaching, technique, and chasing 2 meters

Morgan Lake talks teaching, method, and chasing 2 meters

In 2021, Morgan Lake discovered herself with no coach as her present coach was suspended. She requested Robbie Grabarz – a former Olympic silver medallist – to assist her to the Tokyo Video games.  What began as seeing him a few times per week developed into him being her coach in 2022

Morgan says of their working relationship: “Clearly, he’s received that championship mindset, having received an Olympic medal and being a European champion. He’s been there and accomplished it, and I believe for me it’s then simpler for me to have the ability to give over that belief is often because I’m considering, ‘OK, he’s accomplished it earlier than,’ and that he wouldn’t have me do one thing which he didn’t assume labored. So, I believe the belief component is a very massive factor for the mindset of going to a championship. Simply the truth that it must be slightly bit completely different to some other competitors.  It’s: ‘The place can you discover these little positive aspects whenever you get to the championships?’ Many ladies will probably be leaping the identical heights, be it comparable degree, or how you retain calm and relaxed by way of these championships.

“And for me, one of many largest issues that Robbie helped me with final season was being calm on the majors. I received my opening excessive on the third try in qualifying in Budapest, which was such a nerve-wracking second, however for that third try, he stated, ‘Simply breathe and keep calm and simply leap it.’ And I believe after that I used to be OK. I’m making it out to be an enormous factor, and a lot strain that it’s only a excessive leap on the finish of the day. You’re it’s doing the identical factor you follow to do. So, I believe mentality is the largest factor”.

I find it irresistible whenever you ask a area athlete about their method, they usually appear to be they may discuss all of it day! Morgan had so much to say about method and coaching. “My method has modified so much, and I didn’t actually notice it, however I used to be wanting again at movies from the Rio Olympics, and I used to be unrecognizable. At the moment, I went off a rolling begin; I name it a brief method now. That’s rolling 8-7 or eight stride method.  My operating appears to be like completely different. I used to be coaching as a heptathlete in 2016, so I didn’t have as a lot time to work on the technical facet of the run-up. It was just about simply pure pace and energy, however now I believe it’s much more about rhythm, and I suppose I simply have extra time to work on that technical component. I didn’t notice it had modified that a lot. But it surely undoubtedly has.  Even wanting again at 2018, once I determined to go from a standing 10-stride method, simply the way in which I assault bars now could be so completely different from again then, and that’s once I received my silver medal within the 2018 Commonwealth Video games in Gold Coast. So, I didn’t notice how a lot it modified till I seemed again over time, but it surely undoubtedly has.

“In winter, my coaching is tremendous various, virtually like heptathlon coaching. So we’ll do longer endurance grass runs, quite a lot of cardio work, very first thing simply to get our health up, basic conditioning and hurdles. I like winter coaching.  Then, as soon as we begin leaping, I’ll most likely leap about twice per week and do S&C 3 times per week. After which I do bounding plyometric stuff with Aston Moore and the lengthy jumpers – together with Jazz Sawyers and KJT – as soon as per week. So, it’s fairly good and various, and it’s not all about simply the technical facet of the excessive leap.  In the case of summer season, it’s much more targeted on the talent of the excessive leap”.

For ladies excessive jumpers, 2m is the holy grail.  Morgan has been shut however has not fairly received there.  The closest was 1.99 indoors in Hustopeče, Czech Republic, final yr.  She has cleared 1.97 4 occasions, together with for 4th place within the 2023 World Champs, and accomplished three 1.95s, together with the 2017 London World Champs.  She did 1.95 on the Tokyo Olympics qualifying however couldn’t compete within the last.  How shut does she assume she is to 2m – and does it matter?

“It’s a bizarre one.  I believe as quickly as I jumped 1.90 once I was, I believe,16, I’ve been, ‘proper. The subsequent objective is 2 meters. For the final 10-11 years, I’ve thought I might leap 2 meters. And I imply, each single yr, I believe I’m shut. Final yr was undoubtedly the closest I’ve come to it with the 1.99; I had a couple of makes an attempt at 2:01. I believe I could have tried it twice or thrice final season, and it by no means felt like I wasn’t shut. I believe it’s a type of issues that can occur naturally. I believe it’s a type of issues that can happen in a championship or in a high-level competitors the place I’m not chasing it. After I’m simply attempting to attempt to win. I’m attempting to medal. And I do know that to be up there, I must leap these heights. I do assume it’s undoubtedly in me. It’s simply extra a case of when? As a result of the distinction between 1.99 and two meters is completely nothing. Simply gotta get by way of the heights. This time final yr I used to be perhaps chasing it an excessive amount of, so I’d virtually be desirous about leaping 2 metres earlier than I even cleared 1.90.  You may decide any peak within the excessive leap and pole vault. You may simply go into a contest, begin at 2 meters, and take 3 makes an attempt! I believe it’s one factor that’s gonna should occur.

In 2014, Morgan received gold within the World U20 heptathlon and got here sixth within the World Indoors Pentathlon. I questioned if she fancied a crack on the Olympic heptathlon and excessive leap in Paris: “They’re on the identical day. So it may be a bit onerous!”

She added: “There have been undoubtedly a couple of years the place I used to be actually rethinking if I had made the appropriate determination simply to do the excessive leap: or ought to I return to the heptathlon?  I’ve been actually pleased with my determination for the final couple of years. However I’ve all the time stated I’d like to do a pentathlon once more. I believe doing a full heptathlon can be a bit tough, however doing a pentathlon once more, perhaps subsequent yr or the yr after, as soon as Paris is out of the way in which. Simply because the pentathlon coaching is so much simpler. Effectively, it’s not simpler, but it surely’s higher for my excessive leap when it’s 60 hurdles, or javelin and 200m. The brief energy coaching would solely ever assist my excessive leap. So I could do a pentathlon someday, however most likely to not the extent I’ve been at on the world stage”.