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Mitchell asks: 'Watt pressure?'
Australian record holder and long jump world leader Mitchell Watt says that the pressure to win gold at the world championships in Daegu is an added motivation.
The 23-year-old has the four furthest jumps in the world this year, each with their own significance. The first saw him crowned national champion back in April, in Melbourne, while the second secured his first Diamond League win in Shanghai. The third (8.54m), in Stockholm, set a new Oceania record and the fourth, in London, saw him remain undefeated in the Diamond League.
Unsurprisingly, as the only athlete to have jumped further than 8.40m this year, Watt has found himself arrive in Daegu as favourite to win his first global title, a position that sits comfortably with him.
Watt said: “At nationals when I jumped that 8.44 I think that was a really good sign and I would’ve been really disappointed if I didn’t improve on that when I did come to Europe, so it was nice to get that.
“Hopefully I will push it out even further while I’m here, but it’s sort of progressed really nicely with the Diamond Leagues and stuff and I’ve been able to get some good wins there. Everything is pretty much going to plan at the moment.
“It [being named favourite] means I’ve had a good season really. In 2009 [world championships] I was looking at these guys that used to jump 8.20 every week and I was like ‘I don’t know how they do it’ and now I’m pretty much doing 8.30s and 8.40s each time I compete.
“If anything I think it’s going to make me jump further, I love a bit of pressure and that’s the thing I don’t like, going out there and not feeling nervous and just being too relaxed, so I think it’s really going to help me fire up and jump even further.
“I want to jump over 8.50 again but I mean, saying that, there’s always the weather and all those kind of things. Obviously we’ve been trying to peak here all year so another personal best would be nice, but whatever it takes.
“In Stockholm and London both my winning jumps were in round two, and in Stockholm I had 8.34 in round one, so we’re definitely looking to do something similar to that here.”
Two years ago Watt finished third at the world championships in Berlin, to takebronze with 8.37m. Compatriot and Commonwealth champion Fabrice Lapierre, who is Daegu as well asRobbie Crowther, finished in fourth while Dwight Phillips (USA) took gold and Godfrey Mokoena(RSA) silver.
Watt continued: “I remember doing a thing with you guys [the media] and just thinking there was talk of a medal and I thought you guys were joking. I was honestly not expecting to get a medal there and it’s definitely a lot different this time around.
“I’ve said it a few times but I’ll be disappointed if I don’t end up with the gold and that’s kind of put a bit of extra pressure on me saying that, but it’s the truth.
“He’s (Irving Saladino – PAN) definitely got the potential to jump big and also the two British guys (Chris Tomlinson and Greg Rutherford). They’ve sort of been finishing top 1-2-3 in the Diamond Leagues all year, pretty much.
“Then there’s Dwight Phillips, the reigning champion, he hasn’t jumped since I think Shanghai, he’s just been back home preparing, But I think as well that you can tell by the Diamond League points, it’s so spread out, that everyone’s sort of spread out the wins and the seconds and thirds.
“There could be another new guy that comes up and breaks his personal best by a big way, so you never know.”
For more information on the 2011 IAAF world championships including Australian Flame team information, athlete profiles, news and results, please visit athletics.com.au.
IAAF world championships
Daegu (KOR)
August 27 – September 4, 2011
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