Kansas State High Jumper, Clare Gibson

Today we brought in Clare Gibson, a High Jumper from Australia who is currently competing at Kansas State University and already hitting some big jumps early in her college career.  In  2015 she was a finalist in the World U18 Championship with a 1.8m Jump and is also a U16 State Record holder and in 2017 she received the Silver medal at the Australian National Championships.

For our Athletes, pay attention to question #3 (Goals). One of the great hints about Track and Field is being able to find victory in a PR even when you do not take first place.  Always focus on making yourself a better and stronger athlete.

1: How did you get started in your Sport?
I began through a program called Little Athletics back in Aus, it is basically a version track where you have the opportunity to compete in multiple events each weekend. the focus of this program however is not so much to win, rather to beat you own PR. After a few years competing in this, i moved my way up to competing at the proper meets and everything has really just progressed from there.

2: What was a major struggle for your training and/or success
i would say that the biggest struggle has probably been injuries and knowing how to deal with them. I have had injuries come 2 weeks before nationals and had to drop out, It was devastating at the time, but from it i learnt about how to care for my body and to listen carefully to know when is enough. It is a constant battle as an athlete to know just how far we can push the boundaries without injuring ourselves in the process.

3: What is your current goal
My current goal this season is to jump a PR. There is no gold medal or winning a competition that would make me happy, what excited me rather is simply getting better and improving everyday. I know that i am young and have many years left in this sport, so right now its about focusing on the small things and trying to refine myself as a jumper.

4:  What advice would you give a young athlete?
Never give up, and find what motivates you. There are so many times when it is tough and you want to give up. i say to people that i have a love hate relationship with the sport. but no matter how many times you feel like quitting or things are getting to hard, you just have to push through in order to come out the other side and experience the good. I think that finding out what motivates you as an athlete to train your hardest is one of the most valuable things you can do. In order to be your best, you have to give 100% and its the little things that make a difference. Its all about the 1%s.

5:  How big of a role is nutrition when it comes to your training?
As a high jumper, nutrition, recovery and sleep are the most important parts of my training. If i want my body to perform at its best, i need to be fuelling it correctly. This means that when season comes around, i have to clean up my diet and cut out the foods that are not so great for me. I know that by eating correctly, this could be the difference between winning and losing, or jumping that pb that i am always after.

I always ensure that i have healthy snacks on hand, and that after sessions i am eating a good amount of carbohydrates and protein in order to help restore my muscles and promote recovery.