Lawrence Okoye sets a new British discus record
Lawrence Okoye set a new British discus record with a throw of 71.88m Ramona throws an invitation to the series world in Oklahoma at the age of 34. He had an interesting career. He participated in the 2012 Olympic Games at the age of 20. He recalled his experience years later. “The qualifying round was a little bit unsuccessful. I had a bit of a tough time in the beginning and I was able to pull it out in the last round which was a big moment for me. I remember the finale being very disappointing. Obviously, I was 20 years old at the time and not very experienced, and I could have thrown to first. You know you have to strike fast, but my overall impression of London 2012 was: It was an incredible occasion. The fans and the country really got behind us and that. It was probably one of the best sporting events we’ve ever had in the UK in terms of how well it was received and how well the athletes performed, so it was great to be a part of it.”
He then turned his back on athletics to give the NFL a chance. “It’s always been an ambition of mine, something I wanted to do, and this was an opportunity to do it. And I always knew I would be able to get back into the discussion, and I did. So, you know, I proved myself right about that. So yeah, that’s what I just wanted to do.”
He didn’t quite make it in the NFL, but he enjoyed the experience. In another case, it was an odd move because he had never played the game at all. He initially signed with the San Francisco 49ers and spent 2 years on the practice squad. He then had contracts with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, followed by the Montreal Alouettes and Birmingham Iron. Although he played little, he certainly saw a lot of the country.
His reference to those six years (2013-19) was as follows. “I really liked it. However, the problem with that sport is that you don’t really have control. You know you can control your performance, but you can’t control the decisions made about you. Whereas in individual sports you obviously have full control, there are pros and cons to both, but I learned more about being a pro. I learned about, you know, different cultures and different sports cultures. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about adversity, about success. It was between the ages of 20 and 27. So those were the formative years of my adulthood. So that was a big moment for me. I learned a lot about that from that experience and it helped me in the disc as well, just getting back to being disciplined and you know how to train and all that good stuff. I took everything year after year. I haven’t made any long-term plans because the sport is very routine. You never know what’s going to happen around here, so I haven’t made any long term plans. I was very focused on doing my best every day. And I let the chips fall where they may.
He again2019 His most successful season was 2022, when he was third at the European Championships (67.14m) and second at the Commonwealth Games. He had a good 2021 season with a best of 66.89m, which would have been good enough for fifth place at the Tokyo Olympics, except he was not in the finals at the Tokyo Olympics, failing to make the mark in the qualifying round. Due to the humidity, he struggled to keep his hands dry and couldn’t get a good grip on the disc.
He described winning a medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as a “great experience”, adding: “It really helped me just because I was so disappointed after Oregon. And I had a foul in the first round of qualifying and a bad throw in the first round of the final. So I wasn’t really in a good position going into both the finals and I managed to get out in the second round. I was actually quite happy about that, which showed a bit of mental toughness, and then basically I had to push the day a bit.
When I spoke with him, we also discussed his unusual technique; “My technique is quite unique just because I’m the only man who throws the legs down as opposed to going backwards. – I don’t want to say jump, but it’s almost like a jump when you finish. It looks like you are changing your legs. just for people who won’t necessarily know. But I’m pretty unique in that my feet stay on the ground when I pass the disc. When I’m in the groove, my throw is quite rhythmic and still very powerful and long. When I’m not in the groove, it can be a bit short and punchy, which is what we’re trying to get away from. The problem is that you need a ton of tension and power in the disc, but you also need to be loose, long and fluid. So a bit of an oxymoron there. Every day you step into the frame and that’s the challenge. That’s why it takes so long to get good, so all the years that I’ve been away from soccer, I’ve missed those opportunities to hone that part of the sport to get that rep that allows me to have that power, but also that rhythm and fluidity. So you know what we work on every day and we struggle to get it right. And I think hopefully in the summer when we get to the championships, I’ll be able to make it on the day.”
Let’s hope his excellent early season form is a sign of more to come in 2026
