She is a Bible-reading religious Christian who raises her lengthy arms in prayer earlier than every leap after which, as she usually says on her Instagram web page, jumps 'joyfully for Jesus'.
Clearly, it really works for Nicola Olislagers, who’s the primary Australian lady to clear 2m within the excessive leap, has a private greatest of two.03m and is ranked second on the earth behind Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
1.86 cm lengthy gun from North Gosford NSW Central Coast Gained a silver medal within the excessive leap on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and needs to go one step higher on the Paris Video games.
Olislagers says she not solely needs to win a gold medal on the Paris Olympics subsequent month, but in addition breaks the world report.
That may require the 27-year-old to maneuver his PB above .07m, which means he must clear the bar an extra top of, say, a dimension D battery or a mean golf tee to make 2.10.
It is a huge deal on the earth of excessive leaping.
Olislagers' foremost rival Mahuchikh jumped 2.06m in 2021, however the world report of two.09m, which she needs to interrupt, was set by Bulgaria's Stefka Kostadinova in 1987.
What Australian Olympic officers are hopeful that the Olislagers can probably obtain is partly perspective and partly confidence.
In April, as a substitute of breaking the nationwide report of two.04m, the 27-year-old raised it to 2.06m.
Nicola Olislagers is the world quantity two within the girls's excessive leap and is one among Australia's greatest contenders for a observe and discipline gold medal on the Paris Olympics.
She failed in her first try, however virtually succeeded within the second.
“I used to be considering, 'How is it attainable that it's been 37 years since a lady has jumped over 2.09m? How lengthy is that?'” Olsziljers stated later.
“I recognised it when [Kostadinova] Whereas one woman was leaping at a pace of two.09, one other woman proper subsequent to her was leaping at a pace of two.07.
'So should you don't have the luxurious of doing that, it’s a must to do larger, bolder issues, which most excessive jumpers don't wish to do.
'I'm simply studying how you can step out of my consolation zone, push myself to do issues, and never accept something lower than my greatest.
'I don't suppose I do know what my greatest is, and that excites me.'
Different issues that set Olislagers aside are her versatile operating, her acrobatic coaching routine and what she calls her “little ebook of gold,” by which she has develop into well-known for writing notes at sporting occasions, together with previous Olympics.
'This factor went viral and I don't perceive why. However that is my sports activities coaching diary and I feel it's like Athletics 101.' she told Nine,
‘Simply write down what you probably did for coaching every single day. However I went a step additional and stated, OK, however what did I be taught and what did I like and what do I want to alter?
'The Olympic Video games had been two hours and 45 minutes lengthy. There was a very long time to pay attention.
'So I had this ebook stuffed with inspiration and likewise these classes that I discovered. I can write myself a letter sooner or later saying hey you're on the Olympics however bear in mind this and I can take a look at it.
The 27-year-old from the NSW Central Coast trains religiously and is a religious Christian who combines her religion along with her sport and hopes to interrupt the world report in Paris.
'So it was a phenomenal second after I might take the journal with me to these competitions, and write down no matter I used to be feeling in that second, which I might replicate on later.
'Initially I used to be doing it as a result of I believed nobody else would see it.
“After which the following factor you already know is your little quirks are within the highlight. That's by no means actually the intention.”
Along with statistics, drawings of flowers and a rating – he gave himself a '10 out of 10' in Tokyo – the ebook additionally consists of biblical quotes and spiritual reflections on his sport.
Amongst his emotions on that day and details about his well being and weight-reduction plan are some phrases akin to 'Give up: It’s as when you’ve got shed blood, sweat and tears for a crown that you’ve got given freely. But you’re a sharer within the glory of God who sees'.
Olieslagers' Christian beliefs turned linked to her sporting achievements in her teenagers, and by then she had develop into an completed participant.
When she started competing in athletics occasions on the age of seven she discovered she might win most occasions, from the shot put to the 200 metres dash, after which on the age of eight additionally the excessive leap, later saying 'Even then I believed that at some point I wish to leap two metres.'
Rising up with Croatian maternal grandparents – who come from Croatia’s Korcula island, reportedly the birthplace of Marco Polo – one among younger Nikola’s sporting function fashions was former Croatian excessive leap star, Blanka Vlasic.
Nicola Olislagers is pictured along with her husband, basketball participant and equally religious Christian, Rhys Olislagers, whom she married in 2022
The joint second-highest feminine jumper with a private greatest of two.08 metres, Vlasic competed at her first Olympics in Sydney in 2000 on the age of 16 and received a silver medal on the 2008 Beijing Video games.
Olislagers has beforehand mentioned his perception that: 'Croatian genetics, because of the top, provides a bodily construction benefit for a lot of sports activities.
'Nevertheless, I feel this precept can be prolonged to the Croatian life-style, which may be very well-known to profitable athletes,' he added.
'We be taught to work laborious, worth household, and respect the neighborhood we're a part of.'
She believes her athletic success is because of a second religion that stems from a time when she was 16 and attended a youth camp that was a serious step towards changing into an evangelical Christian.
She modified her skilled identify to 'Bibb' when she married basketball participant and equally religious Christian Rhys Olislagers in 2022.
Collectively they now run Eternal Crowns, a company devoted to encouraging and educating athletes.
Her non secular preparations had been an integral a part of her preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, the place she received a silver medal in an exhilarating ultimate to develop into solely the second Australian lady to win an Olympic excessive leap medal.
Olislagers says of clearing the bar in Budapest final 12 months (as above): “While you clear the bar, it’s very thrilling… for a second you’re feeling such as you’re flying.”
As he later advised Christian media outlet 'Eternity News', Lacking out on the gold medal didn’t dishearten her.
“To organize for the Olympic Video games, I used to be getting ready bodily in addition to spiritually,” she stated.
'I knew after I went there I might have doubts, and likewise the temptation to cover my religion with a purpose to get a sponsor, or conceal my happiness in case I couldn't get into the bar.
'I used to be fearless, as a result of I knew that though I couldn't discover my identification in Christ whereas I used to be making an attempt to attain the last word within the Olympic Video games, it nonetheless meant I used to be greater than sufficient.'
Final 12 months he was collectively named Athletics NSW’s Athlete of the Yr with excessive jumper Brandon Starc.
Earlier than touring to Paris, the Olislagers spent the whole season in Europe, taking part within the Diamond League in Stockholm in June, in addition to competitions in Finland and Czechoslovakia.
She is going to take part within the Diamond League in Paris on July 7, the Olympic qualifier on August 2 and the Olympic ultimate on August 4.
Olislagers and her 'little ebook of gold' by which she writes about jumps, coaching, and provides Bible quotes in addition to little illustrations
Olislagers herself runs as much as the excessive leap bar, which she loves, not dreads, spreading her arms and fascinated about you-know-who.
“The second proper earlier than the leap is so candy to me,” she posted on Instagram forward of a contest in 2022.
'It requires the belief that irrespective of how a lot coaching and preparation has been executed, that is the second to let go of management and belief.
'It's straightforward to consider that it's not what occurs subsequent that issues, however what holds you collectively within the midst of all of it.'
Olislagers additionally stated that top leap has 'taught me flexibility, energy and perseverance, that are unimaginable to attain with out giving your one hundred pc.'
She stated, 'However deep inside I simply wish to get 10 out of 10.'
'The day I broke the 2m barrier in Australia was a day. You’ll be able to't set a dream too excessive.
'While you recover from the bar, there's lots of pleasure, however there's additionally lots of management. For a second you’re feeling such as you're flying, and I really like that.'
