Australian Athletics Championships: Nicola Olyslagers hopes her perseverance can inspire next generation

Fresh off a gold medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championship, Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers says much of her success was born out of failure in Perth more than a decade ago. Olyslagers is a two-time world Indoor high jump champion and Olympic silver medalist, but in 2013, her journey to the top echelon of athletics was over almost before it started. Fresh on the scene as a 15-year-old, she cracked under the pressure, failing to qualify for the World Junior Championships. “I remember leaving this track 12 years ago, I was disappointed and it was raining, which it never does in Perth, and the pressure really got to me, and I didn’t know how to cope,” she told The West Australian. “It could have been so easy to give up on my journey then. I missed out on my first world youth championships because of it, and it was looking like I wasn’t going to make it.” While the pain did not disappear overnight, the now 28-year-old said the key to her progression was discovering her worth outside of athletics rather than letting the results define her. “I found out who I was outside of my performance, which was a really gradual journey, and it wasn’t until four years later in 2017 that I transformed my mindset of who I was outside of my sport,” she said. “When I knew my value and my identity as a person and not an athlete, that really helped my perseverance. “In 2019, I still didn’t perform as well as I could have, but I had that joy inside of me and now I’m here again in better shape than I’ve ever been and have had more success than anyone thought possible at that age. “No matter how I jump, I know that I can inspire the next generation. Things might not go to plan, but that doesn’t mean you throw out all your dreams; you just keep going.” After a whirlwind Olympic campaign, Olyslagers revealed she took a break following the end of last season, not even jumping again until February this year. She likened her offseason to putting together a race car, with her months of tinkering helping to push her to new heights. “An Olympic gold medalist told me that after the end of the season, he had two months off to do nothing and I was gobsmacked,” she said. “I saw that he kept performing year after year at the top level and that conversation really shaped how high recover from competition and prioritising rest and doing nothing. “Then you start again from ground zero. I didn’t see a track for months after my season. “It’s like you’re creating your race vehicle but you don’t get to drive it but once you do it’s about what modifications you can make and I found every time I’m coming back stronger.” Australian athletics is on the cusp of a new golden era off the back of strong results in Paris which were backed up earlier this year at the World Indoor Championships in China. This is best represented in their high-jump stocks, with Australia boasting two of the top three competitors in the world, with Elenaor Patterson joining Olyslagers on the podium. Together with Ukrainian world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the three women have dominated the sport over the past few years. “It’s amazing that in our own right we would have been trailblazers but together we’ve been able to renovate what high jump is in Australia forever,” Olyslagers said. “As athletes, we’re completely different, we train completely different, different coaches, and yet the same age and the same country.” Olylsagers said it was a privilege to have a fellow compatriate pushing her to reach new heights as she hopes their success will inspire the next generation. “To do it with her has been super encouraging she has taken big steps forward for many years she was way ahead of me, but because of that, I learnt how to find joy without first place,” she said. “She showed me what’s possible, and now Yaroslava is showing us what’s possible; it’s like a full circle thing. I’m blessed to be a part of it. “I hope I’m creating that culture for the young athletes coming through of showing what’s possible.”