Christian Taylor Interview
An absolutely massive interview coming your way today as we sit down with with two-time Olympic Triple Jump champion Christian Taylor to talk about his amazing career. We find out from Christian just how the sport of Triple Jump actually found him and how he used it as "training" for soccer and then turned it into a sport he would soon dominate. We also learn more about his two Olympic experiences and how he is able to get a mental edge over his competitors with some unique strategy. Added to this we also learn about meeting Obama and what it was like to go to school with a certain Ryan Lochte. It is one amazing chat that you won't want to miss, so get to listening!
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Please note this is an automated transcript that may contain errors.
BEN WATERWORTH: It is Off The Podium, An Olympics Podcast, coming to you today for one massive, massive interview. Christian Taylor, American long jump superstar, one of the most dominant athletes in the sport of athletics over the last decade. Four time world champion, two time Olympic champion. And basically the only reason why he's not a three time Olympic champion is unfortunately he got injured just before the Tokyo Olympics earlier this year. So absolutely dominated triple jump over the 2010s. And this is a fascinating chat with Christian learning how he got into the sport and how the sport really found him. It wasn't exactly a sport that he started off as a junior going straight into triple jump. He tried his hand at many different pursuits and sort of had this sport discover him. So it's a very interesting chat learning about that. How he's able to use a unique mental edge over his competitors and why he believes he has been so dominant in the sport over the last decade. And we also learn a whole bunch of other stuff here. He talks a lot about food, which kind of gets me a little bit hungry. It's my own fault for asking the questions, but hey, gotta do my job. And also meeting Obama and going to school with Ryan Lochte. That's always a good starting point for a conversation when it comes to an interview. So here is our chat with US Olympic superstar, two time gold medallist in the sport of triple jump, Christian Taylor.
BEN WATERWORTH: Such a massive honour to welcome our next guest here today. So much to go through on his resume that I'm just gonna border this down to a two-time Olympic champion, a four-time world champion, a seven-time Diamond League champion, and somebody who I'm actually very jealous to be speaking of today who's had an amazing breakfast. I don't usually mention what people have for breakfast off air, because it's not something that I usually like to say, but he's literally just mentioned it to me, and now I'm very hungry going into this interview. It's a pleasure to welcome to Off The Podium, the one, the only Mr. Christian Taylor. First of all, Christian, welcome to the program. It's such a pleasure to speak with you today.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Cheers, Ben. Thank you so much. Very happy that we can sit here and have a nice chat, but good morning to all the listeners. Good afternoon. Good night based off where you're listening to, but no, very excited for this.
BEN WATERWORTH: I, yeah, I'm just, I'm thinking of grit now. I'm thinking of Southern cooking. I just, I shouldn't have asked you that question. I should have moved on to something a little bit more, but I'm so fascinated to learn more about your career because when you look at some of the most dominant athletes in the sport of athletics over the last decade, your name easily comes to very much near the top of that list. And triple jump is a sport that I've always been fascinated by because it's just such a unique event that you sort of want to add a couple of different elements to just jumping really long and really far. I mean, what point growing up, Christian, through all your athletic career and everything, did you first try triple jump and realise, okay, I'm gonna make myself into an athlete that does a little bit of extra work considering just jumping long and add a couple of extra steps to that?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Right, right. Yeah, so I got into track and field, even cross country around the age 12, 13. But really I was considered like an All-American at the beginning, right? So I tried baseball, basketball, American football, soccer, tennis, golf. I mean, the works, like literally my parents had said, don't knock it before you try it. Go out there, see what you're good at, see what you like, find your passion. And I really did. I tried it all, and very quickly I realised with baseball, my hand-eye coordination was not on par, so I couldn't hit a ball to save my life. You know, with golf, I just, I was so frustrated. You know, one out of every 20 shots you finally get, and I just thought, you know what, this is mad. Like, I'm gonna go crazy if I continue doing this. You know, and really it was just trial and error, but eventually it got, you know, into athletics, and really tried it all. So, you know, went to run across country, the distance, running two miles, and realised very quickly this was not my buildup, my natural buildup, and went to sprints and found out that I didn't have the explosivity of a hundred metre runner. Eventually got to the jumps. I, you know, I love jumping around the house, and with all the other sports, I was always jumping around. It became very natural to me. Did the long jump was very good, and after a while, it almost became bored. And I thought, you know what? Like, maybe I'll try the high jump, and I'll dabble into this triple jump. But when the coach saw that I was the only one in the class that could actually make the sand for the triple jump, I wasn't landing back on the runway. He said that, you know, I'm gonna be the triple jumper for the school, that we'd get points in an area that we normally wouldn't, you know, for a school competition. And from then on, I just started to dabble into it, to watch more movies on it, and to learn maybe how to get better, and then the passion grew.
BEN WATERWORTH: Wow, I love that. I love kind of hearing sort of, you know, our guests who dabble in so many different sports, and it kind of almost finds them in a weird way, doesn't it? That they're sort of there. I mean, when you start getting into the triple jump, and you said you'd been doing long jump for a while, I mean, outside of the obvious, adding a couple of different steps to it, I mean, kind of what were some of the more difficult aspects of, I guess, overcoming the long jump aspect to add the extra elements that bring triple jump into the uniqueness that it is?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, the interesting challenge from early on was just finding that balance, right? So, and I think this is with everyone that's ever tried it, they have a massive hop because you have this big run long run on the runway, and then you take off, and then it's like, oh shoot, like what's next, right? And just finding that balance of the proper height off the takeoff, the proper distance, so not going too far where you just, I mean, completely buckle and lose yourself, but not cutting yourself short that then the pit seems so far away. And I mean, that was just so fun to me because similar to golf, I really love taking on challenges, but I found that the chances of executing something properly were higher for a triple jump for me than a golf swing hitting it straight down the fairway. And I thought maybe if out of six jumps, I get two right, I feel pretty good about that. And it was just with every jump, I just learned a bit more about myself. I gained a bit more confidence. I learned the different elements and factors that went into it. But also very quickly, the coach was very excited because every week, it was like a personal best. Every week, I was getting further and further, which meant more points for the team.
BEN WATERWORTH: In terms of all of those ambitions moving forward with all those different sports you were doing, did you set yourself a target? Was An Olympics always a goal? Was it kind of a case of just going as far as you could in any of those sports you were trying, and I guess creating a career for yourself in sports somewhere?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so a little personal about myself, I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, and having the 96 games there was very inspiring for me. So to grow up and to hear and see Michael Johnson light up the track, right? In 96, this is where he broke the 200 world record and just the 400, the golden shoes, the chain. There was so much that I was really inspired from from a young age, and my passion was really soccer. I thought I would make it to the World Cup one day, but unfortunately, my abilities didn't match up with my passion. But with anything I did, my parents said eventually, when you decide this is what you want to pursue, aim high, aim far, don't just try to be a participant, try to excel at whatever you do. And so once I decided that track and field was gonna be my thing, it was, okay, what's the top level? And what do I need to do? But when I started and I was jumping 11 metres to think 18 metres was even possible, it was like, yeah, no chance. But it was like, I needed to set my sights on there. I needed to put that sticker in my locker or to put this in my training bag so I could almost see it and almost just envision what it could be like if I were ever able to make it to the top level.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love that passion for soccer. It seems to be somewhere, something really big there in Atlanta, isn't it? The way Atlanta United's taken off there. I mean, is this just sort of the hidden market in the US that they didn't realise was there, that Atlanta just loves their soccer?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, it's true, it's true. We always had minor league teams, but really once we got the MLS really bought in and Arthur Blank, owner of the Falcons, realised that there is a strong presence of soccer fanatics in Atlanta and you see the success of the team. So it's definitely a sporting city, but also again, from playing travel ball to, I don't know, all my classmates and teammates were so big into football and that just kind of planted that seed early on.
BEN WATERWORTH: When you start progressing through the triple jump and kind of that is something you realise, okay, well, this might be a bit of a focus. Do you have to then really scale back and sort of all these other events that you're doing? I mean, it seems like gone are the days in athletics where you do have an athlete who's really doing the sprinting and the long jump and the triple jump. Like I remember back in Sydney, Marion Jones was going for what, five gold medals, you know, in kind of, you know, five different events, but you just don't really see that anymore. I mean, kind of was that a difficult decision to kind of scale back? And why do many athletes not kind of go for big sort of numbers like they used to?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so I could say really all the way through college, I was doing multiple events. So I was a 400 metre runner, 200 metre runner, long jump, triple jump, of course the relays. It wasn't until I turned professional that I became specialised, but all through youth and junior stage, I was doing it all because my parents just said, jumping is great, but we still want you to be an athlete. And it didn't make sense that I was just doing one thing. But when it comes to the professional level, I think it's one thing, and I think the saying goes for life, right? It's better to be great at one thing than to be good at many. And I think this is almost the blessing and the curse of the saying is, you have shoe sponsors, or you have agents, or you have advisors, however you want to look at it, that say, look, you have a great chance of being an Olympic champion, a world champion in this thing. Why jeopardise it? Why take that chance of maybe being a medallist, participant, or maybe not even in multiple things? And so I think when you have the Carl Lewis's, the Marion Jones, that these athletes that are one in, I can't say a century, but really few and far between that really have this athletic ability like no other. I really just, I think it highlights actually how special these athletes were, that not only were they participating at a high level, but they were excelling at a high level. You know, it shows you their mindset, it shows you how gifted they were, but you know, on top of that, really just how naturally gifted these athletes are. And it's not to belittle what myself or, you know, my competitors have, but I just think, you know, when it comes down to it, if I have to say, well, should I try multiple things or should I just go put all my eggs in one basket? You know, I think it's just safer to play it this way.
BEN WATERWORTH: What was that experience like your first ever international event? I believe the 2007 World Youth Championships. You walk away with a gold and a bronze, not bad for your first competition, but I mean, just kind of lining up there, Team USA emblazoned on you. I mean, kind of that must be a pretty special feeling through all those sports you're doing to kind of be there on an international stage, representing your country at only the age of 17.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Absolutely, yes. So to be very honest, I was not even aware of what World Youth Championships were. I had no international experience. Again, at this time, I was still playing soccer, right? And so I went to the trials and didn't have my passport, didn't even know it was a qualifying competition and won the competition. And we had to do team processing to get ready to go to Czech Republic. And I was not even aware of what the team processing was. And so actually my mom had to send out my passport via FedEx, overnight it. So I could actually declare that I would go in this competition. But for me, it was just, okay, I'm gonna do track and give it my all. But at the same time, my passion was soccer. And I just thought this would be a great way to stay in shape for that. Went over and got overseas and got to this village. And again, everything was very new, but my mindset was completely different than what it is now, right? So I would have been thinking then about the travel, the jet lag, how to adjust, the training, making sure that my training was on par the few days before I got there, and a few days before my competition, making sure I have massages and all these things. None of these things were relevant at that age. When you're 17, you're like, do I have candy in my bag? Did I pack my Gameboy? And are there gonna be girls on the team? Right? So this was really my focus. Went over there one and came third, and I just thought, you know what? Maybe there's something there. Maybe it is more than just a hobby. And so I think this was really my aha moment for my career.
BEN WATERWORTH: I definitely see that. I can't imagine coming back to soccer and going, hey, coach, yeah, I've done pretty well in my preparation for the team. I've just gone and won a gold and a bronze at the World Youth Championships in athletics. Does that help me get a starting line up on the team and get me better progress? I mean, I don't know how that kind of, the coach feels about that.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, yeah, no, it definitely helped me get off the bench. No, no, no, it definitely gave me some perks. And the coach said, hey, look, you're fit. But my dad actually said, look, why don't we go and pursue this full time? Because maybe we can get a scholarship with it. He was very happy with the idea of maybe not have to pay for college. So that worked out really nicely. I started getting recruited and doors started opening.
BEN WATERWORTH: I don't usually like to ask what if scenarios for our guests who have gone on to great success in the sport that they ultimately chose. But I mean, had you stuck with soccer, I mean, kind of what were the prospects? Were there prospects for you to go forward to a World Cup? Like, were you sort of on that radar, that potentially that could have been achieved?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: No, I really don't think so. I think my passion was really there. You know, I've played it all my life. And so it was an absolute love of mine. You know, I love the team carotery, travelling, everything that went with the sport. But as I said, my abilities did not match up with my passion. You know, it was never a day that my dad didn't say, you know, go in and juggle, go get some touches on the ball. I was doing this day in, day out, but sometimes you just don't have it, right? But the things, the ability I did have was with athletics. And this was something that I was openly saying I was doing part-time. I was doing just to stay in shape for soccer, right? But when I had the success, it was like, maybe I'm actually walking through the wrong door. Maybe I need to reevaluate what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. But yeah, at the end of the day, if you love something, like that's just tough. It was tough to walk away from that.
BEN WATERWORTH: It turns out I think you made the right decision there, Christian, just possibly there. What was, given the win there, you're obviously very young, World Youth Championships and everything you're talking about there. Was there any possibility for an appearance in Beijing? I mean, did you go to trials? Kind of, were you sort of on a radar that you could have at least attempted there, or was sort of the age and where you're at just not possible at that point?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so I did go to the trials. But the thing is my level was so low, right? So I was jumping 15 metres at this time. It took 17 plus to make the team. But for me, it was great. I did almost like a exhibition event. So because of my age, they didn't even put me with the senior class as a youth athlete. But I went and competed, jumped 15 metres, of course. And then I still stayed to watch the trials. And it was really, my eyes were open. I was like, okay, not only is 18 metres the goal of the world record, but this is what 17 metres looks like, right? And this looked like leaps and bounds beyond where I was. So I just thought, you know what? Now I need to take the time. I need to start doing the research. I need to start studying. I need to start asking the questions, how did these guys get here? And what do I need to change in my preparation? And that is actually when my dad said, look, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna get into it full time. And I started doing club track. And so basically track became year round.
BEN WATERWORTH: I can imagine that drive, you talked before sort of almost comparing it to golf, you know, that frustration level, you maybe hit one good shot out of 20, like kind of, is it a similar thing when you're sort of aiming for those targets you're talking about, you know, getting to a 17, getting to an 18, kind of doing that, that when you're just, you're jumping, you're practising, you're practising, you're getting so close, you maybe, you know, at a 16.99, you're like, ah, come on, like one more. I can just imagine it's that drive to get that one centimetre further. Sometimes it just keeps pushing you to go that distance.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Absolutely, yeah. You wouldn't believe, I mean, fast forwarding, what, two years later, I was at my first indoor national championship at the University of Florida, and I was at indoor nationals and actually jumped 16.99, you know, and I thought, really? You guys could have given me one centimetre, but at the same time, I thought, you know what? This happened for a reason. And, you know, it was really that moment. It was like, now I know I can just push that much harder, because I think if I would have gotten 17, I would have thought, hey, I made it. You know, I made it into the 17 metre club. Things are going right. But it was like, no, I jumped 16.99. You guys couldn't give me a centimetre. I need to earn that centimetre. And next year, I went 17.30, but it was like, these little moments are the things that really push you and fan the flame more than anything. And then again, fast forward to 2011, 21, my first world championships, I jumped 17.98, right? And I was like, you guys couldn't give me 17.96. And I was like, you guys couldn't give me 18 metres, four centimetres? But again, it was like, no, nothing's gonna be given. Go back and freaking work for it. So these have been relatable moments in my career, but I really enough am super grateful for falling short in those moments.
BEN WATERWORTH: In all that progression to then go to your first world championships and walk away with a gold medal, did you go into that event realistically thinking this was possible? Or did you leave that event going, holy crap, I'm a world champion. Like how did this happen?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I absolutely left the event thinking what just happened? Like, I really went in national champion. I knew I had the furthest distance in the world on paper, but that meant nothing when you're in the championship, when you're on the runaway, when you're going against the best in the world. So respectably, I knew what I was up against, but that is the coolest thing about being not even an underdog, like not even a person on the board, right? Like I was not a pawn, I was not a knight, nothing. I was literally a participant. I went there and thought, hey, I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. And then when I jumped 1796, I thought, Jess might win this. Like my life is actually about to change. Not having a contract, and I left university, went back to moving with my parents. And I just thought, you know what? This is all or nothing. I'm just gonna better myself and go out there and see what I can do. Came back world champion and moved to Florida right after that. I was like, okay, I could be a professional track and field athlete.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, life a bit different then, I can imagine getting off that plane back in Florida where not many people maybe knew who you were. Now you're a world champion. Okay, slightly different. I get a few extra phone calls like, you know, Christian, would you like to sponsor, be sponsored, all that sort of stuff? I mean, what is that like then all of a sudden? And not just in that level of aspect, but like you mentioned in going into that event, not really expecting, but now your name is on the radar. You're a year out from an Olympics. You're the world champion. So people all of a sudden are coming for you rather than you coming for them.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so that was the blessing and the curse of it, right? So feeling like you have everything to gain, no target whatsoever. Every media outlet was talking about the experience I was gonna get and how much I was gonna learn from this, not to be too difficult on myself. Walked out with the gold and it was like, oh, well, now you've set the bar here, you can only go up, right? And that was, yeah, for about six months, I rode that wave and it was awesome, right? Like I did get the cause, I did get a sponsorship. I bought me a Volkswagen Golf, right? So I was like, man, like my life is going really well. I moved to Daytona Beach, so I had the beach life and I was really living good. But the problem was I got to Olympic trials and it was no longer talk about experience, it was talk about winning the Olympics. And I thought, how can we talk about winning something I've never been to? I don't know anything about the stage. I'm almost at saying like, you're not in Kansas anymore, right? Like I was like, I got to put on my big boy pants. And once this hit, the pressure just became very real.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love this aspect of making it and you buy yourself a Volkswagen Golf. That's achievement right there, I think. Screw the Olympic Gold, screw the World Champion, you got a Volkswagen Golf.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, I mean, everyone was like, go get you a Range Rover Golf. And I was like, are you kidding me? Like those things just drink gas. Like, no, I really want a Golf. And that was one of my proudest moments.
BEN WATERWORTH: Do you still have it? Is it something you've kept?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: No, no, no, because I moved to, I actually moved to the UK in 2013. So actually I only had it for one year and then had to get rid of it. But I had a really nice year. Nice, nice.
BEN WATERWORTH: The experience of going to your first Olympics, before we sort of obviously talk about the win, I always love hearing from our guests sort of that initial moment when you're there, you're an Olympian, you're soaking up the atmosphere. And obviously this was in the good old days of the Olympics, Christian, when we had fans and atmosphere and all that kind of stuff. And London obviously put on an amazing game. So do you remember what it was like kind of just arriving in London and soaking up all that atmosphere as an American Olympian?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Absolutely, yeah. So it was completely overwhelming. I mean, I did all the team processing, watched all the orientation video, all that stuff. Like it's important and it's good, but when you get to an Olympic city, right? Like when you land, you get off the plane, it is just overwhelming. It is like so much energy. The Olympic spirit is, it feels like no other, right? So I told you, I moved to the UK. I've flown in and out of London all the time, numerous times, but when I landed in London for the Olympics, it was like this rush. I got off the plane in this rush of energy, like you were here for something special, and everyone knows it. So you go through this special line, and you're in the line with this athletes from around the world, right? And even the passport control is just wishing you well, and everyone is just in such good spirits. The host country wants to just show the best of their country, and it's just smiles all around, there's gifts all around, there's just this positive energy. Then it was, oh my gosh, now I get to go to the notorious Olympic Village. Everyone who says, what happens in the village stays in the village, how crazy it is. I'm actually gonna experience this, get there, get my accreditation, get to my room. And yeah, it almost felt like the first day of going on the college campus, US college campus, right? Everyone is just super happy, everyone's moving in, everyone's trying to really get adequate with everything around them, and just make sure everything is in their spot. But yeah, you see friends or old teammates and things like this from around the world, and it's this reunion. But I mean, I can just say it's this rush that you get in every step. And I think I was just riding that high for about three or four days. I was just so happy to be there. But then the reality hits that, okay, it's no longer fun. Like you're here to do a job. And when that sunk in, that's when the pressure, the nerves, the weight of you're not representing yourself, you're representing your country. You need to come here and contribute to the team medal count. They're kids looking up to you, and that's when it became actually quite scary. So it was almost complete 180 flip from riding this wave to trying not to drown, to try to stay afloat.
BEN WATERWORTH: In the final, you miss your first two jumps. You're on the cusp of being done. What goes through the mind after that second jump that you can turn that around into, obviously eventually jumping at 17.81 to win the gold? I mean, I can imagine just everything going there that you've got to psych yourself up to kind of keep yourself in that competition.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: To be honest, the reason I screwed up the first two rounds was because I was too psyched up. Like I was trying to make something happen that just wasn't there. I got so amped up that I was like, I'm not even gonna sit here and try to win. I'm gonna try to blow the doors off. I'm gonna go here and break the world record. My first jump shocked the crowd, shocked my opponents and sit back and just enjoy the night. Went and fouled my first two, and I was like, wow, I'm actually about to take myself out of this competition altogether. And at this moment, my coach just told me like, I need to relax and watch, just take in being at the Olympics. And we sat and watched the 800 metre final. And this was when David Rodisha ran the world record. And that was such an amazing moment. And then he told me, go and be a part of this night, because this is gonna be a historic night. I went back and got a legal jump in my third one, made it to the finals. And after that, I just thought, you know what? I'm not gonna psych myself out. I belong here. I at least should be a medallist, but just go and put it all out there. Fourth jump was 1781. And that's when I knew, I was like, okay, now I'm here to compete. Now I'm showing what I'm capable of. And I got back into it. But to be honest, I was my biggest opponent there. I was the thing that was psyching myself out the most because I just, I wasn't going for gold. I was just going to be legendary. And that was almost what took it away from me.
BEN WATERWORTH: Must be a pretty special feeling then to kind of walk away with the gold, stand there in front of the stadium, star-spangled banner playing, you know, one, two for the US, first time the US had gone one, two in the triple jump since Barcelona, first gold for the US since Atlanta in triple jump. I mean, you can probably never describe what that felt like there, Christian, but I mean, that then, all those sports that you would try to go through, kind of everything that you had gone to get to that point, I mean, it's all worth it for that point, isn't it?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so I mean, that was it. That was the proudest moment of my life. That was the biggest achievement of my life. The World Championships, completely unexpected. This one was completely unexpected, but it was like, wow, I actually, I showed the world that last year wasn't a fluke. I proved to myself, I proved to my family. I also, I left school, so I had one more year of school. Forgo my senior year, and I showed that this was the right decision, right? Like, it was smart that I became a professional athlete, but I just felt like that was the moment where it was officially like, this was the right choice. Track and field was the right choice. Triple jump was the right choice. Like, life is good. And I really, here in the Star Spangled Banner, I didn't go to sleep that night. I held the medal in my arms like a baby in the bed, but I was just back on this high that I thought would never end.
BEN WATERWORTH: Just on that, I always love to find out from our medallists what they do with their medals. We'll obviously talk about Rio in just a moment, but what do you do with them? Are they on display? Are they kind of just in a draw? Like, what do you do with your two Olympic gold?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so mine's actually in a safety deposit box in the bank because I don't even have a house at the moment. So I felt like almost like a rolling stone. The following year right after that, I moved to the UK, so I didn't want to be travelling with too much, and then three years after that, I moved to Holland. So with all the moving, I just thought, let me put it in a safe place. And whenever I come home or do an appearance, I can take it out, but safety was key. And yeah, I just wanted to have that peace of mind.
BEN WATERWORTH: I can imagine you just go to the bank when you're there and just kind of, I just need a moment, let me open my box, just kind of take it in. Here they are, have a moment with my medals, kind of that. I mean, obviously in between London and Rio, further six, I mean, it's almost like you just lit a fuse and then kind of everything went from you there. I mean, I mentioned in the intro, four-time world champion. I mean, besides 2013, when you went in injured, you basically just dominate triple jump across that, and then ultimately going into Rio. I mean, is there just a level of momentum that you just kind of ride across the years that you just kind of bring into it to kind of continue that dominance? I mean, kind of, is there a secret to it, Christian, that you can kind of do that? Because I mean, really only seems that the only thing that stopped you over the last 10 years is injuries.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, yeah, no. A momentum definitely plays a big part for you, but also it's, you know, you get this push to your back, but you also, for the opponents, they feel it, they respect it, right? Like if someone's in a groove, it's hard to get them out of it. And I've found that in sport, it's so mental. It's, you know, you just wouldn't believe it. A lot of the competitions I won were not because I'm more talented or I have, you know, I train harder. No, it's the mentality, right? Like you can speak to someone and know how confident they are. You can watch the trends or watch the progressions of athletes and see, you know, how much they trust their training or where they are in their training, things like this. And this is, once I told you, I started studying the sport, this is what I started doing. Not only was I studying like myself and how critiquing myself, but I was studying my opponents, right? So I used to see how my opponents would react when they had a bad result and use this wisely against them. I would see how they would react when they did well and see how I could take them out of their game. And maybe this sounds wrong or unsportsmanlike, but at the end of the day, I do it in a correct manner. But at the same time, like these are elements that are part of the sport. If you're not taking the time to get to know the ins and outs of it, the ins and outs of being a top competitor, the ins and outs of winning. For me, this is what separated me. And so from the juniors now to those that I've been jumping with for 10 years, I feel like I know my opponents better than they know themselves. And when I find this, it really throws them off their game. But I think if you're gonna show it, I might as well utilise it.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I mean, at the end of the day, if say you had gone on to a World Cup appearance in soccer, I mean, if you're out in the field there with your teammates, you're gonna be doing what you can to maybe have a bit of a chirp at your opponents. It's all part of the game, isn't it? In say, team sports. So why isn't it any different in a sport like triple jump, where again, at the end of the day, your ultimate goal is to win a gold medal and be Olympic and world champion. So it's kind of the same.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: That is it. And I can say really, and I try to tell my opponents now, but with social media, everyone is putting so much out there that I think if you're going to offer it to me on a silver platter, I would be foolish not to take it, right? So if you're showing me that things aren't going well in training, but you expect some breakthrough, well, don't think that I'm not going to bring this topic up when we're competing, right? Like don't think I'm going to plant that seed of doubt that you have offered to me. And so when sponsors or when my fans are saying, why don't you post more about behind the scenes? Why are you not posting your training and your injuries? And I said, how could I? If I know I'm using this against my opponents, why would I give them the same thing, right? So yeah, I think these are the different tools that I've kept to my tool belt, but these are also skills of what it's taken to reach the top and stay at the top.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love that. I love hearing that kind of strategy even just outside of a competition, that I'm not gonna post something on social media because somebody could use it. It's brilliant. Like, I just kind of love that the mindset's always there, Christian, on the competition, no matter what.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Exactly.
BEN WATERWORTH: It's just working that way. No days off. Exactly, exactly. Being an Olympic champion is nice. You know, it's kind of a good thing to go out on. You'll always have that there, but being a double Olympic champion's even better, I would say. I mean, you leave Rio with another goal to time Olympic champion. I mean, again, similar to the question I asked before about that moment you're on the dais in London, but I mean, when you get back from Rio and you've got two of these now, I mean, every realistic chance you could go for a third become only the second triple jump champion in history to go for three in a row. I mean, again, do you take these moments to kind of realise your achievements, kind of what you're doing at that point, because I mean, two Olympic gold medals is something that isn't really that common, unless you're Michael Phelps, but that's a whole other conversation. Right, right.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, no, this was even greater pressure than London. I went in with, I felt like if I came second, it was a fail. I was world Olympic champion, and I had to win. By this time, I was two-time world champion, but it was like I had to win. In this pressure, yeah, this was the worst pressure I've had in my career, because I just thought I have to be perfect. And yeah, fortunately, I did win. And when the anthem went off, I was just crying the whole time, because I just thought, wow, I didn't let anyone down. By this time, I was a mentor to many students across the US, and I didn't want to let my students down. That was just so important to me. And I know now, win or lose, that they would love me and cheer for me regardless. But I just thought, you know what? I'm representing them. I have to give them my all. I have to, there was no second place. And so I guess when I came back, instead of being extremely excited about it, I just felt extremely relieved. I was like, okay, now I have another four years to feel that pressure again, but I'm just gonna enjoy not having it for the next four years. And really enough, I went to the next few world championships and almost felt like I skated through it, because I was like, no pressure can be greater than the Olympic one. And I ended up winning two more world championships with this mentality, thinking, you know what? It's not the Olympics, it's not the Olympics. And then we get to 2020 and all that had in store.
BEN WATERWORTH: Which I guess that's a whole other kettle of fish when it comes to talking about that. But ultimately, you get injured just before the Olympics this year. I can't make it, unfortunately. But it's kind of one of these moments where had the Olympics gone ahead as they were meant to last year, I mean, you might have got it injured, who knows? But do you kind of, how do you reflect on sort of the last 12 months in terms of that, knowing that how you were going in 2020 leading to a normal Olympics in terms of when they're hosting versus how it went in 2021? I mean, obviously I can imagine it was difficult to obviously get that injury and kind of have to pull out. But I mean, how do you sit here now sort of reflecting on how it is and continue that drive then going towards Paris?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, you know, all I can honestly say, because I mean, it's taken counselling, it's taking self-reflection. So it's been quite a ride to really accept and get to the place I am now. But you know, the reality is like it is what it is, as cliche as that sounds. You know, there were many moments when I thought, wow, one year ago, I would have been Olympic champion. You know, I had what it took. I had the momentum coming off of 2019 World Championships. You know, I was in the right state of mind. I was physically the right place. But the thing is, it wasn't 2020. It was Tokyo 2021, and I had to accept that. But the thing is, what got me to this place and what's got me success, again, is the mental part, right? It's not the physical, and I've had physical setbacks before, but it's been my mentality that really got me out of those trenches. My faith is strong and my support system is strong. My wife and my family, when I tore my Achilles, not for one moment did they ever even talk to me about ending my career. It was like, hey, Paris is in three years. And for me, this is the secret behind my success. I can be strong mentally, but there are days I am human. There are many days that I'm like, it's cold. I don't want to go out. It's raining. I don't want to go out. But I have my parents. I have my wife. I have my sister. I have these people that call me on these days, call me out on these days. And they're like, no, if you want to be the best, go out there and train. And these are the same people that... I had the surgery 12 hours after I ruptured my achilles. And these were the same first people to call me to say, hey, don't do something stupid and try to walk the first day. But also we don't expect you to be laying in the bed 24-7. You need to go find a gym. You need to go do something because Paris is in three years. And I just thought, wow, how lucky am I to have such positive people around me, such people that want to see me succeed and know what I'm capable of, and know that my story isn't over. And so these are the things that really fan the flame. These are the things that have gotten me to this past success, but I think will also help me end my career on a high and get me back to where I need to be.
BEN WATERWORTH: I love that motivation. And I'm just saying too, Christian, Brisbane, 2032, 11 more years away, you got plenty of time to come to Australia, and that'll be about your fifth Olympics by then. So, you know, like kind of just keep pushing towards that. Just saying. Now, we like to close out each interview with a series of fun sort of get to know you questions. Now, these are based on a Team Canada questionnaire that they gave their athletes ahead of Rio and Pyeongchang. As always, there is a drawing element. If you want to do it, you can draw a picture of a Canadian animal, Christian. If you really are desperate to shoot it through to us, then we can put that up on our social media, but we don't expect you to. It's okay. That's not a requirement of answering this. Now, the first question, you're allowed to answer your own as well. Your favourite ever Olympic moment is?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, I would say all of Michael Phelps in Beijing.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yep. Just a few, just a couple there.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I can't say one specific, but I mean, yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: Is it something that when you're in the village and you know, your team USA, you're the cool kids on the block, and then all of a sudden, there's your teammate Phelpsy, there he is, couple of gold around the net. You just bump into him, casual little, congrats, Michael, and just kind of go back on your day, like, you know.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, no, it's bad, right? And you know, I went to school with Ryan Lochte, and you know, so it was like, it was pretty, you know, like, we had a strong swimming feeling at the university, but I mean, Michael Phelps and Michael Lochte.
BEN WATERWORTH: I've got it, you've dangled that carrot in front of me. We love Ryan on this show. Do you have any fun Ryan Lochte school moments that you can share with us today?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I would say nothing, nothing different of what you guys haven't seen on TV or social. I mean, Ryan is Ryan, right? You know, but I think this character, it was almost a yin and yang. I think he definitely brought entertainment to the pool.
BEN WATERWORTH: That's a good way of putting it. You never got invited to be on his reality show potentially as a guest appearance or?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, I was in the UK at this time. So I was watching it on the E! channel. Watching them have fun in Gainesville.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, yeah. If you could choose any Olympic host city, where would it be?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, so Tokyo is my favourite city, and that just happened. Ooh, to be honest, I really always, I've heard so many things about Sydney. I would really just like to experience that for myself.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, good answer. And you're pleasing our audience as well with that. So you're ticking all the boxes. I like it. In your spare time, what do you most like to do?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Plan, like plan travel. I want to see the world. My wife and I, I mean, we just got married, and we wanted to go to Tahiti in two weeks, but due to COVID, this travel has now been now postponed for the second year straight. So it's just been brutal. Like we love travelling so much, and so I think that's what we're doing now. Now it's just how can we travel back and forth from Europe? But we just want to see the world, and that's really, we're just planning future trips.
BEN WATERWORTH: We're just thinking about Paris 2024, the surfing is being held in Tahiti, so you got three years to get into surfing, and you probably ace that too, Christian. So therefore, you get to see Tahiti and come in and An Olympics. So, just all the things there. What is your favourite workout?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I would say anything. I know this part of sounds pretty cheesy, but anything in the sand. I'm in Jacksonville Beach now, so anytime I can go to the beach and just be brutal, run the bridges and just run up and down the sand, jump up and down the sand. The sand is just so unforgiving. Every step takes it out of you.
BEN WATERWORTH: I mean, you got to land in that a few hundred times in your career.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Exactly.
BEN WATERWORTH: So I guess you have to kind of get used to the sand, right? So, kind of your friend basically. If you could have lunch with any one person, who would it be? I like it. Didn't even hesitate in that too. Do you not get an invitation to the White House as a two-time gold medallist?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I've met him. But the thing is, you said lunch, right? So it's one thing to shake a hand and, hey, congratulations. It's another thing to be like, yeah, just, I would have an open mic with him. I wouldn't even ask a question. I would let him take the conversation wherever he wanted, whatever he wanted to share. Cause at the present, they got secrets, right? So I would hate to ask a question and he's like, oh, I was willing to tell you like what was going on here, but you wanted to ask it. You know, so I would just be like, shoot, like.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yep.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Laura's yours.
BEN WATERWORTH: Open mic, go for it. Say what you want.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah.
BEN WATERWORTH: A couple of beers in him, might open up. This is the truth about Putin. Exactly, exactly. Go with that. I like your thinking. Yeah, that's what I really think about Trump. Your favourite sandwich is? Yes, good answer. I like it. I learned from before the interview, not to ask you about food, because it just makes me hungry. God, I just like to learn from my mistakes here. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Ooh.
BEN WATERWORTH: Ooh.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I would probably say invisibility.
BEN WATERWORTH: Ooh, yeah.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: That would be awesome.
BEN WATERWORTH: I like that. Best candy in the world is?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Sour punch straws. It's just a thing of sugar, a strip of sugar.
BEN WATERWORTH: Sour, popular. As a kid, your favourite sports team were?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Ooh, yeah, Chicago Bulls.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: I'm a big Michael Jordan fan.
BEN WATERWORTH: Great answer. I like hearing that. What is your favourite sports movie?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Ooh, wow, that's a good one. Oh, cool running.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yes, yes. Always a good answer. And I mean, Bobsleigh could be a possibility, too, right? Do they try and recruit like kind of, you know, you're on a shorter run than the sprinters? I mean, is that something that could be a possibility?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: No chance. I am such a sucker with the cold. I told you I just left Austria because I'm trying to escape the cold. No chance.
BEN WATERWORTH: No, no, no, no Beijing appearance in a few months time. And the final question for you today, Christian, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Seychelles. So beautiful, just so much nature. Yeah, and actually not so many people.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, and that's one of the best flags in the world, too. That is a beautiful looking flag. Colours and everything on it. That is a great one there. Before we let you go, Christian, if people want to sort of keep it up to date in your journey, social media, anything on those lines, where can they find you, where can they follow you, or plug anything that you want to sort of plug on your way out today?
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Yeah, please follow, share. Yeah, just Taylor to Jump, T-A-Y-L-O-R-E-D, the number two, Jump. I think that's what I was born for, so it seems quite fitting.
BEN WATERWORTH: Yeah, I kind of think with the success you've had, possibly might be what you're born for. Christian, it's been an absolute honour to chat with you today to learn more about this and everything else in between. And we look forward to seeing you get that third gold in Paris in only three years' time. It is a pleasure speaking to you on the show on Off The Podium today.
CHRISTIAN TAYLOR: Thanks, Ben.
BEN WATERWORTH: An absolute, massive, massive pleasure there to have Christian on the show. Many thanks for his time. And yeah, I mean, going to school with Ryan Lochte, that is probably a fun time. I'll just leave it at that. In the meantime, we've got some great interviews coming your way here on Off The Podium. We say this at the end of every single episode, but we obviously do mean it. So many great people to chat to, both winter and summer, in the lead up to Beijing and some other great episodes coming your way, if you want to stay up to date with everything that we're doing off the podium on social media, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and of course, all the podcast platforms. Choose your favourite, choose your poison. Search for Off The Podium, mash that subscribe button, leave us some feedback, leave us a rating. We'd love to hear what you think of the show. And if you missed any of our episodes and you want to go back and listen to them again, of course, you can find them all on those platforms and catch up as we bring you more and more great episodes along the way. Big thanks again to Christian, big thanks to everyone for tuning in today. My name is Ben, and as always, go left.
Comments