Samson Oni is just a regular guy; down to earth and funny, he spends most of his time teaching athletics to young people in Southwark. But when the young people go home and the floodlights come up this 28 year old turns into Britain’s biggest hope of high-jump gold.
From the playgrounds of South London to the 2012 Olympic games, Whtvr.org finds out how he made it happen.
How did you discover high jump?
I always used to go to sports clubs after school and play basketball. High jump was just a sport they introduced one day and it wasn’t that popular, but after a while I decided to give it a go.
What is the biggest accomplishment you have achieved in your sport?
In 2008 I went to the European Championships with team GB and we won a gold medal. It was a specially selected team, only one per event was allowed to go, which is unusual for a competition because it’s normally three. It
was the best of the best and I was included, so that was really a proud moment for me.
What do you currently do in your training that sets you apart from the rest?
I do weight training, because that is key to my strength and my power. As for technical practice, I spend a lot of time jumping and trying
different techniques, it’s trial and error. The more time you spend, the better because you’ll eventually find something that works best for you.
Do you ever jump over really big walls?
I have actually thought about it. My personal best is 2.30 metres, and I’ve always walked the streets and looked at certain walls and thought to myself: “If I really wanted to jump that wall or that fence, I could probably do it.” The only problem is that there’s not a mat on the other side of it, I’ll be landing on my head!
You obviously have to be really dedicated, but what is most likely to distract you from your training?
It might sound bad, but the first thing I’d say would be family and friends because everyone wants some of your time. Being a professional athlete, you have to be very dedicated and put your time into training. Also, it’s not just training, there’s a lot of physio, massage, seeing your doctors, seeing your psychologist…it all takes up a lot of time. Girlfriend is definitely a major distraction too! She might not like me saying that but it’s true!
How do you mentally prepare for a big competition, in front of thousands of people?
For a long time I have been reading psychology books which give me ideas on focussing my mind and getting that tunnel vision, so there’s a number of exercises I’ll go through before I got out on the field. It can get a bit complicated, but it’s really like visualising the things that I have to do on the field in terms of my technique and how I’m going to execute it.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
When I was ready to give up the sport and I wasn’t doing very well a few years back, my coach said “never give up”. Those words right there ran home with me and made me believe in myself a lot more. They did me the world of good.
What’s your goal for the next year or five years?
The next year, 2010 – I would like to win a medal. If I don’t get a medal, it’d be reaching a final of a major competition. In the next five years, considering London 2012 is coming up I’d like to have won an Olympic medal. That is my major goal – to win a medal and break my personal best.
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