Olympic long jump finalist Jacob Fincham-Dukes believes he has the potential to reach the podium at world championships in the future.
The men’s long jump final at the Olympics took place on Tuesday, a fact that was largely irrelevant to the vast majority of athletes competing in it.
For Jacob Fincham-Dukes, that was an important consideration. Tuesday’s contest allowed him to spend the next day briefly sightseeing in Paris with his wife and family before making the long drive back to his home in Texas on Thursday to make sure he was at his desk for work the next morning. Finishing fifth in the Olympic finals does nothing to clear a full email inbox.
Apart from Britain’s five individual medalists in Paris, Fincham-Dukes was one of the near misses, featuring some of the country’s most decorated and most supported athletes. People like Dina Usher-Smith (fourth), Daryl Neita (fifth) and Laura Muir (fifth). They were overtaken by the stunning Georgia Bell, who took time off from her full-time career in cyber security this summer before winning bronze in the 1500m.
Even that luxury was beyond Fincham-Dukes, whose entire sporting endeavor must fit within the 20 days of holiday he can take from his job in the payroll department of a health and safety compliance company. The fact that she had never competed in a long jump event in the Diamond League before Zurich last month speaks volumes.
Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Getty)
However, without British Athletics funding (he was added to the World Class programme), a shoe contract and sponsors, a jumble of adidas Team GB shirts, Puma jumpers and Nike running shoes pushed him within sight of the podium in Paris. . There is a question that he cannot stop thinking about now. what could he do with a little support?
“I was one of the best Britons at the Olympics and the only field judge to make the final,” he says. “I have a lot of accolades in my corner to show people. “Look at what I’ve done and look at what I could do.”
“I work full time and only see my trainer three times a week. Give me a four-year run at the next Olympics, support me full-time where I can train at a convenient time of day, see my trainer, sleep better and recover better, see more physios, and let’s see what I can do. “.
Jacob-Fincham-Dukes (Getty)
On a typical day, when he only has one practice, Fincham-Dukes wakes up at 6 a.m., completes a full day’s work, and then goes to practice in the early evening. Twice a week, the wake-up call is moved forward to 5 a.m. so he can work out before a weights session. It’s a full schedule. Of the eight sessions a week, he sees his coach Austin Brobst less than half the time, thanks to Brobst’s young family and Southern Methodist University’s full-time coaching students.
» This is an abbreviated version of a much longer feature that appears October issue of AW magazine.
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