When I first set my sights on the Olympics in earnest, I had aspirations of competing in Beijing in 2008. I didn’t end up jumping far enough to qualify for those Olympic Games but have competed in every single global championship since then so perhaps my failure to make it to Beijing was the catalyst for what I have achieved since then. Still, wholeheartedly pursuing a goal that alludes you in the end can definitely have a lasting impact and as a result I have been practically salivating at the opportunity to finally compete at the Bird’s Nest stadium ever since it was announced that Beijing would host the 2015 IAAF World Championships. Before heading to Beijing though, my first big stop will be in Toronto in July for the Pan American Games where I’ll try to make up for another goal that I wasn’t able to achieve. In Guadalajara in 2011 I had my heart set on winning my first Pan American Games medal and ended up finishing two spots from the podium in a competition where I should have “easily” been top 3; assuming I had performed up to my potential. Since that failure though, I’ve qualified for the finals of the last two global championships (the 2012 Olympics and 2013 World Championships). Notice a theme here?
For the 2015 season I’ve got my sights set squarely on the Pan American Games in Toronto, where I’m looking to win my first Pan Am medal, and the World Championships in Beijing, where I’ll finally get to compete in the Bird’s Nest, a full seven years later. Of course I’ve also got a secondary goal of finishing in the top 3 at any Diamond League or World Challenge meet that I compete in but my trips to Toronto and Beijing are literally marked on my calendar.
Full speed ahead.
SL
