High jumper Robbie Grabarz and the UKA team are off to Istanbul, Turkey. It is the first global senior competition the 24-year old is participating in, which makes the fact that he is a strong medal contender even more exciting. Grabarz is currently ranked fourth in the world standings, following an incredible 2,34m leap he performed in Wuppertal, Germany at the beginning of this season.
“I’m very excited to be competing at the World Indoors in Istanbul”, he says “it’s a great competition to be a part of and some great experience ahead of the Olympic Games this summer. My main aim is to use my excitement to my advantage and really enjoy myself whilst I am competing against the best high jumpers in the world.”
Last season did not quite go according to plan for the Birmingham based athlete. After not qualifying and missing out on the outdoor World Championships in Daegu last August, a change in his mental attitude seems to have helped him a lot in his winter preparation.
“My main change this winter has been my mental approach to my training, committing 100% of my focus to my training and competitions, leaving any external distractions away from the track and knowing that whilst I am at the track, I have a job to do.
“After an unsuccessful 2011 season I made the decision I did not want this to happen again.”
After the Worlds, the indoor season for the Birmingham Grand Prix winner will be over and the target is set towards London2012.
“I will take a week of rest immediately following the WIC then head straight back into hard training and a warm weather training trip to Italy ahead of the summer season.”
Seeing that all the hard work he has put into his high jump career paid off so far, Grabarz is determined to build upon his successful indoor season in the summer.
“I will take part in a few competitions ahead of the UK Championships, where I will qualify for the Olympics. Once qualified my aims at the games will be to qualify for the final, and once there, similarly to the WIC will be aiming to be battling for a medal.”
