Robbie Grabarz Interview - High Jump U20

On His Way to Great Heights…

Robbie Grabarz is a young man on his way to great heights in athletics, literally. He is one of nation’s highest performers in the high jump and has become one of only eight junior high jumpers in UK history to achieve 2.20m. A brilliant achievement then, especially when you consider that he is only 18. Robbie has a great future ahead of him and is hoping to qualify for the world junior games in Bejing this year.

Your Track Record

We asked Robbie about his success to date and what he was most proud of. He told us that he has qualified for the European Juniors in Lithuania last year and although this had not gone well for him it had been a good learning experience. Since then he won the indoor event in Birmingham with a height of 2.20m. He also did well in the 3A’s U20 event with a jump of 2.15m. He won the English schools event with a jump of 2.04m. He needs to repeat this pedigree and success outdoors with a jump of 2.15m to qualify for Beijing. With a personal best of 2.22m this should be possible and he is setting his sights on Beijing.

How did you get started in Athletics and what has helped you achieve this success?

Robbie was fortunate to get advice and support in Athletics from a primary school age. Through the school he was given a passport to athletics, which got him to Bedford Athletics Stadium. Once there he tried various disciplines and found that high jump was for him. He was a winner and talking to him he is grateful for this introduction to the sport given to him by Roy Thickpenny. During his first few years at the local stadium he was coached by Fred Wooding. Once part of the set-up he joined Bedford and County Athletic and has been coached and mentored by Carol Jackson and also by Terry Lomax who is part of the national set-up.

Robbie has had some support from different charities to help with his training and travel expenses. SportsAid and the Ron Pickering Trust have both helped with funding.

Any other sporting interests?

Robbie played field hockey to county level until this year, where he like so many others before him, he had to chose between the demands of his sports and of course Athletics won. He joked with us that he really only enjoys sports that he is good at!! His other sporting interests included BMX and snowboarding when he was younger but now he has had to give them up due to training and competing schedules. Robbie does however still get out on his mountain bike and uses this as part of his training to build stamina and also to have a bit of fun.

How much training is involved?

He smiles at this point and tells me that training is most days, his secret, undoubtedly that he enjoys it. After the interview I watched some of his training warm-up that involved the stretching and jumping over a bar set at a lower height. He was there with his training buddies flinging himself over the bar with a series of flips and somersaults. He seemed in his element and was all smiles.

What hints, tips and advice would you give to help others achieve success in their sport?

A common theme emerges with Robbie, he told me ‘Make sure you enjoy yourself and you’ll probably succeed’. Also he says with a pragmatic determination it is easy to try hard if you like what you are doing. People who have inspired him include Ben Challenger and also Steve Smith. His recipe for success is about training hard and preparing well and taking each event in his stride. We asked him about whether he follows a prescribed special diet. He commented that as success has started to come he has paid more attention to his diet and nutrition. His summary of eating the right things for his sport is based on maintaining a healthy balance and common sense.

What do you do to relax?

Whilst some of the questions take a bit of thinking about, this one does not, classic cars is his passion. He has already had two mini’s, this must be interesting given his height. He explains that driving classic cars is different, they have character and personality. (This I understand having spent much of my life justifying expenditure on classic cars…an investment you understand!) The chat degenerates into 5 minutes about cars during which time he expresses a need for a Volkswagen Beatle. We move on.

What are your plans and aspirations for the future?

Robbie is a man on mission; first stop is to launch his tall frame over 2.15m to qualify for Beijing. After that will be further opportunities to stamp his mark. He has been accepted into Loughborough that should help him develop his natural talent to another level. He wants to balance studying at university with developing a career as a full time athlete.

 (Thanks to Michael Grabarz for the photo of Robbie's 2.15 jump at the U20 3a's)

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