AS AN ATHLETE who has collected 4 silver medals in global outdoor championships, and is coming off her first U.S. title since ’22, Sandi Morris could be forgiven if she is obsessed with winning vault gold in Tokyo.
But she’s not. Of course, the two-time indoor world titlist would love to top the podium in three weeks’ time. Above all, however, it’s about the process. Getting to the runway healthy, being in a position to give it her all, and executing technique and in-competition strategic moves with her new coach, Brooke Rasnick.
“I just want to go out there and jump free,” Morris said, speaking prior to competing in the DL Final in Zürich (where she finished runner-up). “And if I can, go out and jump with the weight off my chest, don’t even think about the result I want, just focus on executing what I’ve been working so hard to get good at this season with the technical changes I’ve made and just appreciating being healthy…”
To complete her thought, Morris shifts to the ever-present aspect of getting to the runway as injury-free as possible. “It can be hard; I feel like there’s just always something popping up; whether it’s catching a little cold or tweaking an ankle. So it’s like, ‘OK, I’m feeling almost 100% right now, so let’s just go jump, let’s go have fun and I’m gonna appreciate being out there and just give it my best shot… and if I land on the podium I’m gonna be a happy gal.’”
At age 33, and having been through the peaks and valleys of international competition for more than a decade, Morris takes nothing for granted. After missing the Olympic final in ’21, she rebounded and had a fantastic ’22, winning USATF, taking 2nd at the Worlds in Eugene and ranking No. 1 in the world for a third time.
But neither of the biggest meets in ’23 (7th at Worlds) and ’24 (4th at the Trials) were up to her lofty standards. It was time for a new beginning.
“That’s when I called up [training partner Gabi Leon] and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m going back to the drawing board here — square one, all options open — and I’m looking for something that works for me.’ I had a better idea of what I needed after trial and error with other coaching changes; I learned a lot between 2022 and ’24.
“The minute I sat down with Brooke [who coached…
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