My Precious
Two years after achieving my greatest performance and immediately following another Olympic title, it had seemed that the stars had once again aligned and the momentum was completely on my side. My confidence was at an all-time high, I was in peak shape, and now I patiently waited for my moment to finally pass the World Record that continually eluded me. This became the most challenging year of my career and the biggest turning point.
When you are at the top, the focus becomes on ways to stay there. I got used to the target on my back and thrived on each opportunity when my opponents sought to dethrone me. The issue was, that the greatest battle was actually internal and this battle I was slowly losing with each competition. I knew that with each jump, with each competition, the chances to pass this record were fading and this became an unhealthy obsession. It robbed me of sleep, of joy, of being present. I no longer competed against others, I had no sense of gratitude, and I dug a hole of no escape.
I don’t recall much about the winning my third World Championship. I recall seeing the winning distance, passing through the media zone, and rushing to my hotel room to accept my defeat. Being completely overwhelmed with disappointment, I needed to get away from everyone and accept the reality of once again missing out on the record that haunted me.
