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Two-time world pole vault champion Sam Kendricks hasn’t let the shortened track and field season dampen his competitive spirit. In fact, the 28-year-old is glad he is in Doha for the season’s final Diamond League meet to be held at Qatar Sports Club Stadium today. “I’m just so grateful because meeting organisers have gone above and beyond to make sure competitions can happen,” Kendricks said during a pre-event press conference in Doha yesterday. “It’s (the shortened season) been an adventure. We’ve all just kind of rolled with it this year and that’s been cool,” he added with a smile on his face. But the affable American won’t be taken lightly in the pole vault competition that will also feature arch-rival Mondo Duplantis of Sweden. “You get to put the whole world aside when you step on to t h e t r a c k , ” Kendricks said. “And when you’re on it, time goes fast and the whole world melts away. Not that I don’t care about the problems of the world, but they don’t matter when you’re standing there on the track. “At that moment, it’s all about how fast you can run or how high you can jump,” Kendricks said. Here’s what Kendricks had to say at the press conference:
Q: How do you maintain your focus or compartmentalize your thoughts during a competition?
A: I am fortunate that I don’t have to buy a ticket and watch the action. I count my blessings because I am right there in the middle, ready to jump. One of my good friends in high school, he was the goalkeeper of the soccer team and he was a damn fine one. He watched most of the games in his cornerback in the field as he didn’t have to be every bit as ready until the ball came his way. It is the same with pole vault at times. It’s a show a lot of times. So I just have to wait and be ready for my moment when they put the camera on me.
Q: Do you see any silver lining in this shortened track and field season?
A: I think, as athletes, it is our responsibility to get out there to compete. My silver lining is I moved into my house that I have been trying to finish for two years (smiles) and Rebecca is there laughing at me as I have been telling her about this house for two years since I won in London. So I finally got to move in so family life is great back home but I got to get on the road and do what I do.
Q: How do you look back at this year?
A: Well, this has certainly been a strange year. We, as athletes, are just grateful because especially the organisers, the event managers have come together and put together these fantastic events, especially the ones like this (in Doha). The organisers have gone over and beyond in what was expected of them. Some would say ‘don’t even try’. I have had directors and agents calling and saying ‘is this even possible?’. It would not have been possible without them. Now we come to the end of the year, it has been an adventure. It really has. It makes my heart beat faster and when I get up in the morning and they say ‘they need you down at the press conference’. It is all about no good plan survives first contact with the real problem. It has been a unifying aspect of the whole year. I didn’t see myself sitting at the table coming up to October but I am glad we are here.
Q: How excited are you to be competing despite the Covid-19 scenario?
A: When I first started travelling six weeks ago, I started with an event in Monaco. I was not even able to get my equipment there. I could not even get a couple of poles from America. But because of Turkish Airlines and everybody in between stepped up, I got new equipment with me. I have got my best set. You can see my hands and feet shaking (gestures with hand) and I believe you as organisers have done your job to get the athletes excited.
Q: Do you enjoy competing in front of big crowds? Will you be missing the fans this time around?
A: For me, this is the most exciting thing. Back in my hometown, I would invite my friends and family to come and watch me practice. And that is selfish because I get so much reward when there’s so many people watching. I am not a diva, it’s a chemical thing that makes you jump well. It really works with 20, 30 or 50 people watching and it really works with 50,000 (people watching). In London, I never felt more reinvigorated when I had the whole stadium to myself (when I was) jumping for the last bar at 5.95 for the win. It sparks a different fire in your mind when it’s that many eyes on you.
