• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home European Athletics

A change is as good as a rest, by J. Stuart Weir

Stuart WeirbyStuart Weir
June 30, 2017
0
0 0
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

shara1.jpgShara Proctor and her new friend, photo by Stuart Weir

In 2014, I was traveling around Europe as an athletic pilgrim. I followed Ashton Eaton to most of his 400 meter hurdle races, as he had taken a year off from the decathlon. I was there when he ran a fine PB and run in Glasgow. Speaking to Ashton afterwards, he told me that he was refreshed focusing on the new discipline and that, in the end, “it was all about 2016.”

RelatedPosts

Femke Bol Has raced 24 times in 2023, and it is building the sport, by Cathal Dennehy

Golden Days: Team GB takes 7 gold medals at European Under 23s (July 12-16, 2023)

Euro 23s Espoo, Finland: Keely Hodgkinson running 400

Stu Weir is our Scottish athletic pilgrim, traveling around the globe for a good race, or, an unusual story. Here is his piece on Shara Proctor, a fine long jumper, who, in Lille, took a chance and tried another event, the triple jump.

A change is as good as a rest

DSCN0153.JPGShara Proctor, a triple jumper for the day, photo by Stuart Weir

At the Doha diamond league press conference, five athletes were asked: if the IAAF made a rule that athletes had to compete in an event other than their own, what would they choose.

American triple jumper, Christian Taylor, said: “that is a no-brainer for me, the 400 metres”, an event in which Taylor has represented USA in the World Relays. He added that it was a serious ambition to compete in the 400 or 400 relay in a major championship.

And the question was equally easy for Dutch, former heptathlete, Dafne Schippers, who nominated the long jump. German javelin thrower, Thomas Rohler, said he fancied the triple jump. US shot putter, Michelle Carter said she would do the discus, having thrown discus as well as shot in college. Jamaican sprinter, Elaine Thompson, said she couldn’t think of anything as she hated running further than the 200 metres.

At the European Team Championships last week end, Shara Proctor put words into action by competing in the triple-jump, not the long jump. Proctor who jumped over seven metres twice at the 2015 World Championship to take the silver medal. While she led until the final round when she was overtaken by Tianna Bartoletta, Proctor still saw it as a success not a failure: “I really wanted to be on the podium and I wanted to jump 7 metres – so I got what I wanted, she said afterwards.

In 2009 and 2010, Proctor competed in triple jump seven times including the NCAA Championships and the SEC Outdoor Championships. She competed once indoor in 2012 but then not for the next five years – until the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa in April this year, where she jumped 13.82. As Proctor trains in Netherlands with Christian Taylor, she is not short of expert advice.

On Sunday she jumped 13.39 for ninth place, saying afterwards: “I had a lot of fun. I’m not happy with the result but I’m very happy that I was able to gain this experience and gain this exposure. I don’t feel I’m defeated, I’m just happy that I was able to showcase a little triple jump talent. This is a building process and I’ll be back.

” I love triple jump and I enjoy training for it. It’s fun and a mental break from the long jump so I thought I have the talent and the ability to jump far in the triple jump so why not try it. I don’t want to leave the sport without trying so I’m just trying again and testing it out. I came here with zero expectations, I felt like a fish out of water. I was just looking around and thought to myself ‘I don’t know anybody here’. This was very different but I enjoyed it very much”.

Hats off to an athlete stepped out of her comfort zone and competed in a different event and still had fun!

Author

  • Stuart Weir
    Stuart Weir

    Since 2015, Stuart Weir has written for RunBlogRun. He attends about 20 events a year including all most global championships and Diamond Leagues. He enjoys finding the quirky and obscure story.

    View all posts

Previous Post

2017 HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals Summer Cross Country Training Program, Week 2, Day 5, Getting back into the habit

Next Post

A night in Ostrava with Wayde, Usain and Mo, by Cathal Dennehy

Stuart Weir

Stuart Weir

Since 2015, Stuart Weir has written for RunBlogRun. He attends about 20 events a year including all most global championships and Diamond Leagues. He enjoys finding the quirky and obscure story.

Similar Post

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial , The Women’s Shot Put

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial , The Women’s Shot Put

October 3, 2023
The Great Days of Track & Field: Here is Elliott Denman’s Very First Segment of his favorite moments in our sport!
Athletics history

The Great Days of Track & Field: Here is Elliott Denman’s Very First Segment of his favorite moments in our sport!

October 3, 2023
The Budapest 2023 World Champs are Underway…

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racing, Week 4, Day 2, Tempo!

October 3, 2023
Coffee With Larry, Nike Pre Classic, Some Deep thoughts on 2023 version

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racining Program, Week 4, day 1, Monday is recovery…

October 3, 2023
NUGUSE SMASHES AMERICAN RECORD FOR THE MILE: 3:43.97

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Running Week 3, Day 7, a long run on Sundays…

October 2, 2023
Coffee with Larry, Brussels DL continues was totally Impressive!

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial, Some deep thoughts on Another epic 1,500m race…

September 30, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

August 27, 2023
An epic pole vault competition

An epic pole vault competition

August 26, 2023
2022 USATF Outdoor Champs: Melissa Jefferson takes the Women’s 100m title in windy 10.69!

The curious case of Sha’Carri Richardson: How can the sprinter turn around her career?

February 8, 2023
Reborn Sha’Carri Richardson comes back from the brink and is now ready to become the world champion

Reborn Sha’Carri Richardson comes back from the brink and is now ready to become the world champion

July 17, 2023
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

7
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
2022 Munich Diary, Day Five, a Great Friday Night

2023 European Athletics Indoor Champs, The Women’s 60m, who will win the final tonight?

5
TCS New York City Marathon Broadcast to be Available in More Than 530 Million Homes Around the World on Sunday, November 6

RunblogRun Editorial: The Sorry State of Running Television Coverage, by Peter Abraham, note by Larry Eder

4
2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial , The Women’s Shot Put

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial , The Women’s Shot Put

October 3, 2023
The Great Days of Track & Field: Here is Elliott Denman’s Very First Segment of his favorite moments in our sport!

The Great Days of Track & Field: Here is Elliott Denman’s Very First Segment of his favorite moments in our sport!

October 3, 2023
The Budapest 2023 World Champs are Underway…

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racing, Week 4, Day 2, Tempo!

October 3, 2023
Coffee With Larry, Nike Pre Classic, Some Deep thoughts on 2023 version

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racining Program, Week 4, day 1, Monday is recovery…

October 3, 2023

Popular Stories

  • USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

    Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • An epic pole vault competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The curious case of Sha’Carri Richardson: How can the sprinter turn around her career?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reborn Sha’Carri Richardson comes back from the brink and is now ready to become the world champion

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial , The Women’s Shot Put

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial , The Women’s Shot Put

October 3, 2023
The Great Days of Track & Field: Here is Elliott Denman’s Very First Segment of his favorite moments in our sport!
Athletics history

The Great Days of Track & Field: Here is Elliott Denman’s Very First Segment of his favorite moments in our sport!

October 3, 2023
The Budapest 2023 World Champs are Underway…

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racing, Week 4, Day 2, Tempo!

October 3, 2023
Coffee With Larry, Nike Pre Classic, Some Deep thoughts on 2023 version

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racining Program, Week 4, day 1, Monday is recovery…

October 3, 2023

Recent Tweets

Next Post

A night in Ostrava with Wayde, Usain and Mo, by Cathal Dennehy

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist