The British long jumper was determined to make the most of a tough 2020 and she reflects on her year in an interview with Stuart Weir

As has been the case for many athletes, long jumper Abigail Irozuru has found the coronavirus lockdown restrictions a real challenge in 2020.

"March, April, May and even into June I was mentally okay," recalls the Manchester-based athlete during our October interview. "But by June, the reality hit and it all seemed a bit cumbersome.

"I remember some sessions where I felt really frustrated by not being able to access the track or not to be able to use the sand pit. I found it really frustrating when other people had what they needed to train, but the jumpers couldn’t use the sand pit.

"I suppose it’s when you compare what you got with what other people have got, that you get yourself upset."

When she had to train on grass because the tracks were closed, she just got on with it. Her philosophy was: “turn up, shut up, do the work and hope it gives you positive gains."

Even when the tracks were open, at times the process to gain access has been complex and frustrating but Irozuru has no complaints, recognising that staff at tracks, like athletes, are negotiating a minefield of COVID regulations.

The 30-year-old was always keen to salvage something out of a difficult year. "I see no point in training just for training," she says, "and as an older athlete, I think it’s important for me to take every opportunity and get as much competition as possible.

"Even if I couldn’t compete to my highest level because of the lack of preparation – it would still be good to get out there, compete with the other girls and enjoy the experience."

That the British Championships were taking place in her home city was an added bonus. Additional motivation comes from her Christian faith. "I love the quotation from Eric Liddell in the movie Chariots of Fire: 'God made me for a purpose but he also made me fast and when I run I feel his pleasure' and I want to feel God’s pleasure when I jump," she says.

Irozuru's first competition in 2020 was not until mid-August, three months later than in a normal year, but she felt that was the right timing, having not seen a sandpit for 13 weeks in the spring.

When the season did start, so began a tour around Europe featuring six meets in 33 days in six countries and she achieved a best jump of 6.57m.

"It felt a massive underachievement," she assesses. "Despite the challenges that I faced I think it could have been better. Coming second in the British Championship was disappointing. Throughout most my competitions I felt I was getting one or two decent jumps and then it would go downhill. I think I could have jumped an extra 10 or 20 centimetres in most of the competitions.

"Never to get out of the 6.50s was an under performance. If I had felt that 6.50m was the best I could do, I would have accepted it, but I always felt there was a consistent 6.60m-plus in my legs.

"And of course, it didn’t end well as, in my last competition in Berlin, I had to stop after the second round with a hamstring tear.  That was pretty frustrating as I had planned to finish the season at the Doha Diamond League to which I was looking forward. To sum it up in two words: underwhelming and under-performance."

Irozuru has an interesting coaching set-up. While she is officially self-coached, there is a lot more to it than that.

"For the 2021 season I’m going to collaborate with Aston Moore, who is going to set a framework," she explains. "I  haven’t fully released the reins because of the type of personality I am. I know what works and what has worked in the past. As well, since 2015, I have worked with Nick Jones so that has been one constant. In addition, the physios and biometricians at British Athletics are very helpful. So, while I am self-coached, I don’t do it on my own because it’s very collaborative."

Winter training had to start late as the Sale Harriers athlete was still in rehab for her hamstring injury. She is hoping to have a period of warm-weather training and the focus is on the Olympics.

"I have to assume the Olympics will take place even as that does seem a bit unlikely," she says. "But I will keep on working until I’m told it’s not happening."

Click here for more in a series of 2020 reflection interviews.

(Lead photo by Getty Images for British Athletics)

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