We threw a rigid training structure out the window and completely listened to my body this season. That combined with a little bit of luck and building a bit of resilience into my body meant I have been able to compete consistently.” – Henry Frayne
By Tim Rosen
For Henry Frayne, the battle has never just been against other athletes, but more about himself versus his own body. Since winning silver at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in the long jump, Frayne has battled numerous injuries that have derailed each of his past six seasons. Despite these hurdles he has still managed to make the final of the past two Olympic Games, an achievement that looks phenomenal from the outside, considering how infrequently he has competed, but one that is a fair way short of where he believes his career is destined to progress to.
Having started out as a high jumper in his junior days, and then predominantly a triple jumper through his later teenage years, Frayne has chosen to solely focus on the long jump since his success at World Indoors in 2012. It was the stresses of being a professional athlete along with the physical demands of triple jump that saw him drop it from his schedule. “I still believe that I could do both at a high level” says Frayne, but he decided he needed to focus on being “very good at one rather than ok at both.” “It’s hard enough trying to be a professional athlete without working another job. Needing to perform to hang onto sponsorships and funding.”
Ironically, 2018 was the first season Frayne has been able to compete regularly throughout, and he did so without the backing of a major apparel sponsor for the first time since 2012 (he does have a personal sponsorship from Kotobuki, a restaurant in east Brisbane). It started in much the same way as the past, with injuries to his Achilles, pectineus and hamstring during the Australian summer, but thankfully he was still selected for the Commonwealth Games due to his A qualifier from the previous season.
After putting a decent block of training together leading into the Commonwealth Games, Frayne was completing his last run up session at Runaway Bay five days out from the qualifying round. His worst nightmare occurred again………………
13 things we didn’t know about Henry Frayne
Favourite food? Sashimi. Or Choc Raspberry Bullets.
Favourite drink? Kombucha.
Favourite TV show? Entourage/Friends.
And one you wouldn’t normally admit to watching? Gossip Girl. I’ve watched it all twice ha-ha.
Pre-jump pump up song? ……………
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