England’s Jazmin Sawyers is no stranger to performing on the world’s biggest stage and this summer will be no different as she prepares to take part in another home Commonwealth Games.
The 28-year-old long-jumper burst onto the scene at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Now Sawyers is hoping to enjoy the same level of success she experienced then at the tournament this summer.
Sawyers caught up with Sportsmail’s Charlotte Daly to discuss her experience at the Tokyo Olympic Games, her training regime ahead of this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, her passion for cooking up Fajitas and more.
England’s Jazmin Sawyers is preparing for another home Commonwealth Games this summer
Sawyers claimed an unexpected silver medal in the long jump final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Sawyers recalled feeling ‘excited’ to compete at her first senior championships and even admitted to feeling at ease heading into the 2014 Games as little was expected of her.
However, the 28-year-old did admit to having her sights set on a medal despite being ranked outside of the top 10.
Sawyers – who managed to win a silver medal at just 20 years old – said her victory in Glasgow gave her the confidence to go on and thrive at senior level.
She said: ‘It was my first senior championships so more than anything I was just excited – I had a medal in my sights though it wasn’t expected of me as I wasn’t even ranked inside the top 10.
Sawyers came second in the long jump final at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland
Sawyers set a personal best of 6.54m at just 20 years old to secure a podium place
‘My coach at the time, Alan Lerwill believed a medal was possible and kept me calm but optimistic and when the opportunity came I was able to perform.
‘It gave me confidence that I could perform at a senior level going forwards, and is still my favourite competitive memory to return to.’
Next on the list for Sawyers was an Olympic medal at the 2016 Rio Games. However, the England long-jumper struggled to make the podium – finishing eighth overall.
Sawyers – more determined than ever – focused her energy on competing at the Olympics Games in Tokyo.
However, Sawyers spoke about the difficulty she faced when training for the showpiece event due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The 28-year-old previously revealed how she was unable to see her coach for 11 months and said she was denied access to her usual training base in Florida due to restrictions.
Nevertheless, Sawyers was determined to surpass her eighth-placed finish in Rio de Janeiro four-and-a-half years ago.
However, despite recording her personal best at Tokyo, Sawyers found herself finishing in eighth place once again.
Speaking directly after the Games, Sawyers said she was not ‘satisfied’ with the result. She has now told Sportsmail exactly what she meant by that.
Sawyers said: ‘After finishing eighth in Rio in 2016, I wanted to progress to a better placing in Tokyo five years later.
‘I say it was good because the actual distance I jumped was my furthest ever in a championship and the furthest eighth place ever (I jumped 6.80m which usually, would place you around 5th) but ultimately I was disappointed to not have been able to progress closer to the medals.
‘I felt disappointed but I was also proud of myself for all the work I had done alone during the lockdowns that enabled me to even get that far.’
Sawyers touched upon the impact competing behind closed door had on her performance and explained how she sought the help of a sports psychologist to help her mentally prepare for such an experience.
Sawyers said: ‘The main word I use to describe it is strange. Walking out to an Olympic final, the culmination of years and years of work and the biggest stage in sport, to silence and an empty stadium is just bizarre.
‘I am someone who feeds off a crowd so I had to do work with my sports psychologist beforehand to prepare myself mentally to put out my best performance without a crowd, and I did manage to compete really well but I can’t tell you how excited I am to get back in front of a full stadium.
‘There’s just nothing like it, it’s what I dreamed of as a little girl and it never gets less exciting.
Turning her attention to the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Sawyers has said she is focusing on having fun but admitted medals are in the back of her mind.
Sawyers was disappointed with her eighth place finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games
When asked what her goals were for the upcoming competition, Sawyers said: ‘Have fun on purpose. That’s my own personal policy for this whole season.
‘A friend of mine who recently retired from professional sport said their one regret in their long career was not actually enjoying the amazing opportunities they got over the years, so I’m determined not to make the same mistake.
‘There was a time during these past few years when we just weren’t sure when we’d get sport back, and I feel so lucky to be in a position where I get to stand on a runway and put all these years of work into practice in front of thousands of people who want to see me succeed. I want to make sure I really enjoy the moment.’
She went on to add: ‘I’m always aiming for medals, but I’ve found that giving myself a minimum result to be satisfied with isn’t a useful approach as there’s just nothing I can do to control how everyone else competes and so instead I’m focused on specific ‘process’ goals.
‘They are things that will sound quite boring to most people but will actually help me compete better: attack the first jump like it’s my last, run with my knees high all the way through the board, and to use the home crowd to my advantage; we haven’t had crowds for what feels like forever and I always get a boost from a supportive Birmingham crowd!’.
When asked how she was preparing for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Sawyers said she trains six times a week and focuses on her diet in the build-up to a competition.
Sawyers prides herself on her nutrition and says Fajitas are one of her favourite meals
She told Sportsmail: ‘I train six days a week, twice a day on four of those days, with a variety of weightlifting, sprinting, long jumping and general fitness work to make sure that my whole body is ready to handle all of the training and the demands of competition.
‘My diet has to be tailored for this too; wraps are my go-to – fajitas specifically. One of my favourite meals to cook at home is Old El Paso Fajitas. They’re simple to make and so tasty.
‘Plus, I love all the sides and extras you can have like jalapeños, guacamole, salsa and nachos – they’re so easy to get creative with and I can take the leftovers with me to training sessions; convenience is a big factor for me with diet as I need to get good food in right after training sessions when I’m often tired.
‘I’m actually currently working with Old El Paso on the brilliant FajitaFriYay campaign they’re running, to raise 20,000 fajita meal kit donations to help fight hunger through the charity FareShare.’
Campaign Credit: Jazmin Sawyers is currently taking part in Old El Paso’s #FajitaFriYAYChallenge with Team GB helping raise meal kit donations for FareShare to help families in need fight hunger across the UK.
