07/27/2022
This is my favorite throw of my career thus far, as it is an example of how your mindset towards adversity can shape the outcome of the situation.
I had to deal with quite a bit of bu****it traveling to Norway for the IHGF World Championships. Flight delays, missing my connecting flight, and losing luggage which contained vital pieces of equipment and most of my clothes gave me plenty of excuses not to perform well. Not to mention jet lag and the 21 hours of daylight that made it hard to get any quality sleep… but I’m not big on excuses.
I’m extremely proud of how I handled these obstacles, in that I never let any of it shake me or throw me off my game. The only thing going through my head when adversity struck was:
“Good. I’m a competitor. This will just make it even cooler when I win the world championship”
While I fell short of the goal of winning, I came close. And with this throw, I went 2ft further than I ever have before in this event and took the event win, while borrowing another athlete’s boots that were 4.5 sizes too small.
I think this is a testament to my attitude towards training. It’s important to accept that that things are not always going to be perfect, yet training anyway. You are not always going to be motivated to lift or throw, you won’t always feel fresh and recovered. You might forget your belt, knee sleeves, headphones, wrist wraps, etc. The gym might be busy, and someone might walk in front of you while you’re going for a big lift. But who cares? Train anyway. Use the minor obstacle as an exercise in mental toughness. When adversity strikes in competition, you will be better off for it 🧠💪🏼
