Morgan Lake talks teaching, approach, and chasing 2 meters
In 2021, Morgan Lake discovered herself and not using a coach as her current 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 couple of times every week developed into him being her coach in 2022
Morgan says of their working relationship: “Clearly, he’s bought that championship mindset, having gained an Olympic medal and being a European champion. He’s been there and carried out 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 pondering, ‘OK, he’s carried out 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 needs to be just a little bit totally different to another competitors. It’s: ‘The place can you discover these little positive factors while you get to the championships?’ Many women can be leaping the identical heights, be it comparable stage, or how you retain calm and relaxed by these championships.
“And for me, one of many greatest issues that Robbie helped me with final season was being calm on the majors. I bought 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 bounce 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 bounce on the finish of the day. You’re it’s doing the identical factor you follow to do. So, I believe mentality is the most important factor”.
I adore it while you ask a subject athlete about their approach, and so they seem like they may discuss all of it day! Morgan had loads to say about approach and coaching. “My approach has modified loads, 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 strategy now. That’s an excellent rolling 8-7 or eight stride strategy. My operating appears to be like totally 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 aspect 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. Nevertheless it positively has. Even wanting again at 2018, after I determined to go from a standing 10-stride strategy, simply the best way I assault bars now could be so totally different from again then, and that’s after I bought my silver medal within the 2018 Commonwealth Video games in Gold Coast. So, I didn’t notice how a lot it modified till I regarded again through the years, nevertheless it positively has.
“In winter, my coaching is tremendous various, nearly like heptathlon coaching. So we’ll do longer endurance grass runs, loads of cardio work, very first thing simply to get our health up, common conditioning and hurdles. I like winter coaching. Then, as soon as we begin leaping, I’ll most likely bounce about twice every week and do S&C thrice every week. After which I do bounding plyometric stuff with Aston Moore and the lengthy jumpers – together with Jazz Sawyers and KJT – as soon as every week. So, it’s fairly good and various, and it’s not all about simply the technical aspect of the excessive bounce. With regards to summer time, it’s much more centered on the ability of the excessive bounce”.
For girls excessive jumpers, 2m is the holy grail. Morgan has been shut however has not fairly bought there. The closest was 1.99 indoors in Hustopeče, Czech Republic, final 12 months. She has cleared 1.97 4 instances, together with for 4th place within the 2023 World Champs, and carried out 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 ultimate. 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 after I was, I believe,16, I’ve been, ‘proper. The following objective is 2 meters. For the final 10-11 years, I’ve thought I might bounce 2 meters. And I imply, each single 12 months, I believe I’m shut. Final 12 months was positively the closest I’ve come to it with the 1.99; I had a number 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 kind of issues that can occur naturally. I believe it’s a kind 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 making an attempt to attempt to win. I’m making an attempt to medal. And I do know that to be up there, I should bounce these heights. I do assume it’s positively in me. It’s simply extra a case of when? As a result of the distinction between 1.99 and two meters is totally nothing. Simply gotta get by the heights. This time final 12 months I used to be possibly chasing it an excessive amount of, so I’d nearly be desirous about leaping 2 metres earlier than I even cleared 1.90. You’ll be able to choose any peak within the excessive bounce and pole vault. You would 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 gained gold within the World U20 heptathlon and got here sixth within the World Indoors Pentathlon. I puzzled if she fancied a crack on the Olympic heptathlon and excessive bounce in Paris: “They’re on the identical day. So it is perhaps a bit onerous!”
She added: “There have been positively a number of years the place I used to be actually rethinking if I had made the appropriate resolution simply to do the excessive bounce: or ought to I return to the heptathlon? I’ve been actually proud of my resolution for the final couple of years. However I’ve at all times stated I’d like to do a pentathlon once more. I believe doing a full heptathlon could be a bit troublesome, however doing a pentathlon once more, possibly subsequent 12 months or the 12 months after, as soon as Paris is out of the best way. Simply because the pentathlon coaching is loads simpler. Properly, it’s not simpler, nevertheless it’s higher for my excessive bounce when it’s 60 hurdles, or javelin and 200m. The quick energy coaching would solely ever assist my excessive bounce. So I could do a pentathlon sooner or later, however most likely to not the extent I’ve been at on the world stage”.
