It has been over a year since In The Winning Zone last spoke to Jayne Nisbet. Back in November 2007, the 19-year-old athlete was brimming with enthusiasm after what had been the most successful year of her career so far.

Back in 2007, Nisbet was bubbling at the top of her under-20 age group in both triple and high jump. She was funded as a triple jumper but held a talent which enabled her to impress as a high jumper so trained in both. Although optimistic about the challenge of stepping up to the under-23 age bracket, Nisbet was apprehensive of what lay ahead.

Sitting down for a chat with the 20-year-old, we heard about the highs and lows of a year in which Nisbet has clearly matured and grown into a stronger athlete.

We all know that 2008 was a favourable year for Scottish sport, but what did it bring for one of its rising stars? In short, injury, followed by success, which was followed by further injury.

Nisbet started the year with an ankle injury, which held her back from performing at most of the indoor events. However, once the outdoor season came around, she was ready to jump higher and leap longer than ever before.

“Last year was quite successful” she smiles, before listing the major competitions she shone in. “In the outdoor season I won pretty much every Championship I entered at my age group.”

To complete the year, Nisbet was again hampered by an injury, which she admits was brought about by overtraining. “For about three weeks running up to my injury, I didn’t have a rest day.” Says Nisbet, before recounting her jam-packed training schedule in the lead up to her injury.

“It was a bone stress to the shin. Fortunately it didn’t materialize to be a stress fracture, which could have kept me out for longer.” However, the constant threat of injury is to be expected, she explains, “both events put so much impact on the shins and ankles.”

Previously funded as a triple jumper, Nisbet now receives funding in her other speciality event, the high jump. This has placed her in the Bank of Scotland National Development Programme which has given her the added advantage of elite coaching in the run up to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010.

Possibly the main advantage of being on the programme for Nisbet is gaining the world class coaching of Terry Lomax, UK Performance high jump coach based in Loughborough. Lomax, who has taken a number of athletes to the highest international level, has been working with Nisbet on the technical aspect of high jumping since October of last year.

“Terry is giving me the technical input. I’m still working with my high jump coach, Moira, but I go down to Terry and he gives me stuff to work on with Moira.”

Given that she has been reaching her targets and improving the height of her jumps without receiving technical training, the new addition is sure to have added even more spring in her step for the year ahead

“I’d never ever done drills for high jump; I’d just run and jump over a bar – that was my training. Now I do drills away from the bar and a lot of core stability stuff so I’m a lot stronger generally and my feet are working a lot better.”

Nisbet is setting her short-term sights on the European Under-23 Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania in July. “It’s a big ask but I’ve been training so hard. More realistically I’d get the high jump than the triple because the triple is a whole metre further than what I jumped last year.”

“The high jump standard is 1.88, I jumped 1.82 last year and was really close to 1.85. I’ve done so much technical work, lifting heavier weights, running faster – I should be jumping better this year.” Indeed, Nisbet opened the 2009 indoor season as she means to go on, with a 1.80m high jump.

Nisbet, while admitting that she is going to give high jump a real shot this year, is determined to improve in both her main events, keeping her options open and giving herself the best possible chance of stepping up to the highest stage.

“Ultimately when it comes to Commonwealth Games next year, you can’t really do two events at a Championship – it’s pretty much impossible. If the timetable works out then I will but if it’s too tight then I might as well focus with what’s going well at the time.

She is almost spoilt for choice. Whilst admitting that she is not tall for a high jumper and needs to improve on her speed for the triple jump, Nisbet is ready to learn and improve in what she hopes will be a progressive year in both events.

“I just want to have a breakthrough year. Even though I did well at the championships, I jumped a couple of personal best’s it wasn’t a massive year, I was just getting comfortable in the age group. I’m  in the middle of the age group and I’m feeling a bit better.

In June next year, Nisbet will graduate from Stirling University. While the majority of her fellow graduates will be sending off numerous job applications, Nisbet will have one thing on her mind as she hopes to qualify for the Commonwealth Games which will take place in October.

 “I’m pretty close to both of them [qualification standards], I’m not guaranteed to go but if I keep improving then I’ll be there.”

Nisbet is however so focussed on her future that she believes the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 will be her pinnacle, her best chance of a medal. But if she continues to show the same effort and motivation as she has in the past, that piece of metal may come sooner than expected.

“London is a focus as well, it’s four years away and I’m really aiming for that. Delhi would just be for the experience and then a World Championships the year after that. Realistically though, it's 2014, because I will be a bit older and more likely to get a medal.”

IC
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