"Don't get intimidated": Former Olympic medalist Colin Jackson's advice for Indian athletes participating in 2024 Paris Olympics

By Ujjwal Roy
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 16 : The Kolkata 25K 2023 Event Ambassador and former Welsh 110m hurdles world record holder Colin Jackson said the Indian athletes participating at the 2024 Paris Olympics must not get intimidated by the hype and the environment but rather concentrate on their preparations.
Here in Kolkata for the eighth edition of Kolkata 25K 2023, Colin, 56 years old, who won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, was overwhelmed to see the response from the city and wished the participants the very best.
Rather, he told them to focus on their preparations.
"The most important thing is not to get intimidated by the environment. It's important to take it as any other event, not to think it's the Olympics and put more burden on oneself. I will advise them to take the Olympics as any other competition. There will be several top, athletes at the Olympics, so to give your best and perform is important. Take it as if you are running at the World Championship or Diamond League or any other event. Keep your preparations well and train normally and not too hard. This will help you deliver your best on the field and come out victorious," Jackson told ANI.
Talking about India's Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra, Jackson said the 25-year-old achievements in the javelin are phenomenal and pointed out some champion signs about the Tokyo Olympics gold medallists that shine greater than others.
The renowned athlete lauded Neeraj, who also won gold in javelin at the World Championships and Asian Games in Hangzhou.
"I mean, you know, Chopra is great and what he's achieved in the javelin has just been phenomenal. And he has what I describe as one of these world-class auras about him. When he goes into the stadium, people are looking at him, they're focused on him. They're just wondering what he's going to do today. And that is a sign of a true champion when you have the ability to shine in that particular way. And of course, he's the Olympic champion. He'll try his best to defend his title next year in Paris, I'm sure. And yet again, make India proud. India have also performed well at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, also the Olympic, whatever, the next target, whatever they are," Jackson added.
Talking about talent in India, Jackson said, "Your population tells us that people from different parts of the country who are skilled in different ways, people who roam with altitude up north. In that sense, people who have better warm conditions further down south can sprint a little bit better. So you have all these true opportunities with just your general population. So I would say be patient. That's always the case. And let these superstars creep out of every little area and see what they can do because they 100 per cent were there."
The former Olympic medalist advised Indian athletes to enjoy their time while working hard towards their goals and said creating a fun atmosphere is a very important part of fitness, diet and all the prepared charts.
"One of the most important things in preparation for anything is to have a great time doing it. So I would say focus a little bit on fun first. That fun element is really important because once you're enjoying something and having fun with it, the tendency is you'll work hard at it. And if you work hard at something, we all know you have more chance of being successful," he added.
"So start with the equation with fun at the beginning and then make all the hard work, the dedication, the commitment, it seems like it's not work it just seems like you're doing it because it's part of creating that fun atmosphere that's a very important part of this fitness and diet and all the prepared charts. Yeah, fitness is fundamental, the top end of that. And what we've got to try and do, and I use the word, you try to get fit in a way of, like, you learn by stealth. It's just got to be something that absorbs into you and it doesn't become too much of as a burden. So again, it's really important that you fit healthy lifestyle into your normal day in your normal routine, and that goes with everything," the former Olympic medalist said.