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Nicola Olysagers on the Olympics and more
Nicola McDermott (now Mrs Olysagers) is always an interesting athlete to talk to. I first met her in 2017 at the London World Championships and again the following year at the Commonwealth Games in her native Australia when she took bronze with 1.90. After the Commies, she and her coach decided that her technique could not take her to 2 meters. She bravely decided to change her technique, accepting that it would probably involve sacrificing a year. The new technique took her to a PR of 2.03 and two Olympic silver medals, a World Indoor gold and a World Outdoor bronze.
During COVID-19, with facilities closed, Nicola trained on the beach—it was quite a big sand pit to land in! She explained that her ice bath was the ocean, giving me one of the all-time great quotes: “I was always pleased to see dolphins as it meant there were no sharks in the water!”
I caught up with her again last year and started by asking her what made the Olympics memorable.
In one sense, the Olympics are just competing against the same people. What makes it unique for you?
That’s a great question. What’s unique about the Olympics is that no matter where somebody is in the world or what age of life, everybody has this value for what the Olympic Games means. And you can have the best competition of your life two days before the Olympics, and nobody in the world knows. But then, when it comes to the Olympics, there’s this stage and platform where people turn on the TV to see great things and be inspired. I really love that about the Olympics.
Did the fact that you pulled it out in Tokyo give you the confidence that you could do it again in Paris?
I love being under pressure, and with an Olympic Games, I know once every four years or three years now, I can prepare with such an attitude and mindset to go towards the goal. I was confident that what I did in Tokyo was a lot of belief involved in that, but my body shape and my athletic career since Tokyo have been even more consistent. So yeah, it gave me hope that, preparation-wise, we would be in a perfect place to go to Paris.
Explain how you use pressure and make it a positive?
Pressure reveals what’s really deep down. It’s as if the storm reveals the strength of the foundation. So when I’m in a position, and the pressure is building, I learn what’s inside of me. The things inside me are not just the training I’ve done; they are every part of me. Sometimes, without pressure, I never really knew what was necessary until that moment.
Two meters is just one centimeter above 1.99, but what makes it unique? And do you remember the first time you did it? And how did you feel?
Yeah, absolutely. The two-meter mark in Australia and worldwide is recognized as the standard of excellence attached to that and breaking barriers. In the high jump, you always know these numbers – the 1.90 barrier, the two-meter barrier, the 2.10 barrier and it’s these big numbers bring people’s attention and recognise it. So, when I did 2 meters for the first time, it was an Australian record, and as a little girl, I said one day I wanted to be the first to jump 2 meters in Australia. We have 2 girls (Eleanor Patterson and me), and I’m sure we’ll have more soon. But that day, it wasn’t just about jumping a height; it was about almost opening a door. Yeah. That barrier that stood for so many years. It was conquered. And since that height, and I still remember. Something in me just went. This barrier may have limited my potential, but when I did the two meters, I realized that nothing was impossible and that it really brought to life the faith inside me to see it. And now it’s this continuous thing of seeing a bar over 2 meters and realizing that if I could do it back, I can do it now.
You often talk about the part of something bigger than just a high jumper and God’s purpose in your life. How does that motivate you?
When I decided to become a high jumper when I was eight years old, I recognized that back then, the desire to make it onto the big stage, jump to meters, and get metals was purely out of a sense of self-worth and having meaning: Why am I 6 feet 2 inches? You know, why was I created the way I am?
It wasn’t until I was 20 that I recognized that no medal, height, or number next to my name would ever give me the value that would sustain me and satisfy my soul. That’s where I encountered God’s love because when Jesus came to me and revealed himself to me, I recognized that that value and the love and attention I desired from the world were all found in him. But I had to stop trying to earn it because that’s the gift of grace. It’s given, it’s not earned, it’s received. It’s already been done. I just have to believe. And after that, my journey has been so much more significant than just about sport. I feel the high jump is the instrument in God’s hand to mold me into the person he’s already predestined me to become. It’s also an opportunity for others who I can see are still in the sport to try and get something that the world can never give.
With every jump, step in training, and weight I lift, I realize that I’m drawing closer to an audience that may be able to see God’s work inside of me. That excellence, done from a place of love and peace rather than for a place of peace, can not only inspire them but change their lives.
