Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 121, August 2019 | Page 40

OUT OF
THE By BOX
Norrie Williamson
BUILDINGS WITH ATHLETIC ATTITUDE
A recent trip to Dubai brought to mind the attitude of a successful athlete, and it was inspired by the world’s tallest buildings!
to be at competitions that would take him a step
towards the next goal.
Like a spiral, there was no eventual goal, simply an
ambition to keep climbing until energy, age or talent
was exceeded. Each step was a planned progression
towards improving the current ability, and testing the
way to touch the unachievable… Perfection! That is
an ever-increasing standard, just as the 100m World
Record will always remain an ever decreasing time!
Planning and Focus
Meanwhile, developers in nearby Saudi Arabia are well
on the way to knocking the Burj (828m) off its pedestal
as the tallest building with their Jeddah Tower,
which is due to open in 2020. Originally planned to
stand a mile (1610m) high, it has subsequently been
announced that it will be the first building that will
pass (at least) the 1000m mark.
The battle lines have been drawn, and it is no surprise
that the Dubai Creek Tower is planned to be even
taller than the Jeddah Tower. Interestingly, the exact
height of this new Tower is yet to be announced, and
will likely be a well-guarded secret until the Jeddah
Tower is completed. Only then, I presume, will The
Tower, as the new Dubai pinnacle is to be known,
secure its final additional metres to maintain the
record and title in Dubai!
Building for Success
What has this to do with athletics attitude? Everything,
because this is actually a magnificent example of
the requirements for athletic success. Buildings take
years to plan and construct. The foundation of The
Tower was laid by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Dubai Creek Harbour in
October 2016, and will take at least another year
to complete. Similarly, athletes cannot expect to
achieve greatness overnight, nor indeed in just a year.
Performance is developed and evolved over the years,
and built on strong foundations that allow the athlete
to reach the highest potential peak.
As with any construction, more time has to be
spent on creating and planning the foundation, and
when that is complete, the structure above tends
to go up considerably faster. That said, it is the size
of the foundation that determines how high the
performance/structure can be.
Although in public terms, Usain Bolt came to
prominence at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, some
already saw the initial indications of greatness in
2002 at the World Youth Championships, when he
was aged 15. However, even that was founded on his
talent in cricket and soccer at high school. His Beijing
Olympics came out of the experience of a silver
medal in the 2007 World Championships, and those
Beijing records provided the lessons for the records
at the Berlin World Championships in 2009. Each level
became the platform for the next level, and another,
and another.
At no stage, even when the best (tallest) in the world,
was that enough for Bolt. The Jamaican always strove
to be even better. There were many challengers,
but each time he focused on what was important to
maintain being the best. Focus was key: It was not a
case of doing events or competitions that sounded
good, but more a case of planning and negotiating
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Norrie has represented Scotland, Great Britain and South Africa in ultra-distance
running and triathlon, and he is an IAAF-accredited coach and course measurer. You can read more from
him at www.coachnorrie.co.za.
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ISSUE 121 AUGUST 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
The competition to be tallest also reminds us that when
we are going for a win, the target can move, and what
you require for success one day may be different and
harder the next. Therefore, plans need to remain flexible
enough to be changed or redirected as we proceed.
But that is not all: As we build there are
always unforeseen complications
and challenges. Sometimes
these make it impossible to
do as initially planned, and
another solution or target is
required.
The same is true of the
athlete who sustains an
injury - something that
Bolt experienced, but
it never deterred him.
Hard as it may be, the
focus must remain
on the goal... it’s just
that the method
or speed of
progress may
be slower.
W
alking through the Dubai Mall, in the
shadow of the world’s (current) tallest
building, the Burj Khalifa, I came across a
massive model of the Dubai Creek Tower, whose initial
foundation construction has been done. The model
literally touches the roof, and people were taking
photos and videos of what is currently only a vision,
but whose upper structure is on its way to reality.
Seeing that Dubai Creek model, and the awe and interest
of those in the mall, reminded me that as athletes and
coaches, we need to plan and prepare if we want to get
there! The model reminds us that greatness commences
as a thought, begins on paper with a calculated plan,
becomes an image whose detail increases in a structured
and logical progression, slowly converts into something
tangible (such as a model), and then takes time to be
turned into a reality, building from the foundation up.