AFTER winning silver in the long jump at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungry, last August, Wayne Pinnock says he has the mindset, determination, and confidence to win gold at the Olympic Games in Paris later this year.

However Pinnock, 23, is not getting ahead of himself just yet as he understands that success requires hard effort as he strives to become Jamaica’s first Olympic champion in the event.

Pinnock, who had finished ninth in the 2022 World Athletics Championships men’s long jump, on his major championship debut in Eugene, Oregon, emphasised the importance of staying calm and focused in order to execute at the Olympics.

“The goal for the Olympics is gold, for sure. Go out there, have fun, and execute — as always. This year, for sure, we’re not backing down. We’re going all out,” Pinnock told the Jamaica Observer.

“Me and my coach [Travis Geopfert] are working on technicalities and also trying to keep my body as healthy as possible. I just want to go out there, have a mindset, and have a calm attitude. Going out there knowing that you’re not under any pressure, you just have to execute at all times. For sure, in God’s will He will make me win that gold medal.

“I am just having the preparation of staying calm, humble, and keeping on putting in the work. I just want to go out there and explore because everyone is a competitor and everyone wants to win. I’m just going out there to do my best.”

Pinnock’s first jump in Budapest set a personal best of 8.54m. He leaped another 8.50m in the final but Greek athlete Miltiádis Tentóglou won the gold medal with an 8.52m mark with the competition’s final jump.

Pinnock expressed gratitude for the opportunity and described his journey to the silver medal as an outstanding run.

“I went out there and got a silver medal for my country, and it is a very good feeling,” he said. “I had a little self-doubt in myself but sometimes you have to do incredible stuff to break some barriers.

“I went out there and my coach told me to execute, and that was what I did. I went down that runway like an airplane and then I took off. But when I saw the performance, I was stunned. I was just doubting myself, like I couldn’t do it, but I got it done.

“Going up against competitors, sometimes it does go like that. I was also going up against an Olympic gold medallist, in which he has a lot of experience. When I saw his first six pushes out of the back of his approach I was like, ‘Yeah, this one is going to be a good jump.’ When he took off, and when I saw the distance, I was like: ‘Yeah, I know that was far.’

“As I said, I’m forever grateful. God provided this for me — a silver medal, a silver world medal; many people haven’t done that. I’m just grateful that I’m the one to have one of those medals,” Pinnock said with a smile.

Pinnock then explained how he got into the long jump, and discussed his experience in primary and high school.

“To be honest, it was when I was in primary school,” he said. “One day my primary school coach, Mr Walker, told me that I need to do the long jump. I used to also play football, and I made a jump to hit the ball and he was like, ‘Wow, you’re going to have to try the long jump.’ Since then I have been doing the long jump.

“I have also broken the primary school record. It was a long time; I don’t remember what year it was. It took me over to the high school level.

“Knowing all those people coming up and knowing that I came from that background — from primary school to high school — was a good development for me, also to have the high school championship record. It’s God’s work, and I’m forever thankful.”

Pinnock, who also does the 110m hurdles, says that he had to choose between the hurdles and the long jump and has no regrets about choosing the latter.

“I also love doing hurdles,” he said. “When I had just gone to college at the University of Tennessee, my coach wanted me to sprint. He was talking about my height going over those Olympic hurdles — high hurdles — and how I’m going to have a lot of problems going over all of them.

“Me and myself, knowing I’m talented and I could do it, I was also training over the Olympic height before I went to college. Also, long jump is my favourite event; growing up, that was just my go-to event. I just decided: ‘I’m going to stick to the long jump.’ ”

Pinnock also won the long jump at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships to complete a double, having previously also won the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.