Robbie Grabarz: from Olympic silver to coaching greatness

Robbie Grabarz is a name synonymous with British high jump, winning silver in the 2012 Olympic Games he has reached great heights in his athletics career. Since retiring at the age of 30, he has returned to the athletics world as a coach and has been preparing Morgan Lake, British record holder, for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. We caught up with Grabarz to talk about his athletics career and the transition into coaching.

Grabarz's love for athletics began at a young age. "I started athletics at primary school," he recalls. "The coach told me that if I was enjoying it to join my local club, they ran a scheme to try each event, and at 10 years old, running as fast as I could and jumping over an obstacle onto a bed seemed like the best event!!" This early enjoyment ignited a passion that would carry him to the London Olympics.

Grabarz's career was not without its challenges both mentally and physically, he explains;

"The biggest challenges to me were overcoming self-doubt and fear of failure, it took many years of creating a knowledge inside myself that I could do no more to be better at my chosen sport and to accept that if that wasn't good enough to be at the top, then I was happy with my effort and my level of performance. Once I had created and accepted those two things it gave me the freedom to compete without fear and minimising self-doubt at the highest level of competition."

Reaching the Olympics and competing for your country is no easy task but a journey that many athletes dream to take. For Grabarz there were a few moments that highlighted his incredible journey towards a silver medal;

"Jumping the qualification height and then getting selected for 2012, were the highlights of my Olympic journey. The continued effort and dedication after that point were quite simple, I didn't struggle to continue on that journey to get everything I could out of myself. Winning a medal was an amazing reward for the hard work and dedication, it wasn't my greatest performance of the year regarding heights cleared, but to achieve a medal at a home Olympics was a great moment in my life."

Grabarz attributes much of his success to the supportive environment provided by previous clubs and coaches; "Every coach and club I worked with throughout my career had a huge impact in my development as an athlete and a person," he emphasises. "The support and encouragement I received from everyone was enough to keep me training, competing and in turn making some great friends, going to some amazing places and meeting interesting people from all around the world." This experience helped shape his decision to transition into coaching.

As a coach, Grabarz brings a unique perspective gained through his athletics career. "I learned to be flexible, how to thrive under pressure and what it takes to get ready for a championship," he explains.

"I am still learning so much about being a coach, surrounding myself and talking to those coaches that have far greater experience than me makes a huge difference and helps me to continue to develop."

His aim is to empower athletes to reach their full potential. "The opportunity to win medals, jump higher than ever before and to help enable others to compete at their very best is exciting and gives me the motivation to coach at Olympic level," he says.

With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in full swing, we asked how Grabarz was feeling going into the Games alongside Morgan Lake; "Morgan and I have prepared really well and we are both looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead". We can't wait to see how Morgan performs and know that the whole country will be behind her.

Robbie Grabarz's journey is a powerful inspiration for both athletes and coaches. His story highlights the importance of perseverance, the value of support, and the enduring rewards of dedication to the sport.

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