- Nicola Olyslagers started singing before attempting a jump
- Australian star says she can’t remember what she sang
- Explains that God brings her verses and songs to sing
Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers told how she spontaneously burst into song just before her jump that won her a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Olyslagers, the first Australian woman to break the 2-metre barrier, faced off against Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh for gold in a dramatic final in Paris on Sunday.
The 25-year-old had failed her previous two jumps and was eliminated on a third jump.
The Australian gave herself one last ‘come on’ and managed to clear the bar and secure the silver medal.
When Karl Stefanovic from Nine asked her the next day what she was singing, Olyslagers had no idea.
“That’s a good question,” she said.
“I was in the zone, right? When we have some lip readers on location… usually whatever comes to mind.
‘Honestly, God is in my heart and sometimes he just pulls out a couple verses or songs and I just start singing.
Nicola Olyslagers (pictured) burst into song before clearing 2m in the high jump final
The Australian said she can’t remember what she was singing, but sometimes God brings verses and songs from within her and she starts singing
‘It’s something that happens to me because at that moment I have a faith that doesn’t shy away from pressure, but rather resists it.
‘On the third attempt I had that moment of ‘you can do this’, and after that I just enjoyed every moment.
‘Three steps further and I knew I would get over it.’
Olyslagers is a devoted Christian who prays for every attempt and says he jumps for joy for Jesus.
With her positive attitude, she quickly won over the crowd at the Stade de France and the millions of fans watching at home, encouraging the spectators to complete her attempts and beaming with joy when she achieved her goal.
But one act proved particularly touching: Olyslagers was the only athlete who wrote in a notebook after her jumps.
She previously called the diary her ‘golden book’ and gave herself a grade out of 10 for each attempt.
The devout Christian high jumper’s infectious personality won the hearts of fans
“This thing went viral and I didn’t really understand why. But it’s my sports training diary and I guess it’s like Athletics 101,” she told Nine.
‘Just write down what you did every day before training. But I took it a step further and said, okay, but what did I learn and what felt good and what do I need to change?
‘The [Tokyo] Olympics, it was two hours and 45 minutes. Such a long time to be there and focused.
‘So I had this book full of inspiration and also these lessons that I learned. I could almost write a letter to myself in the future to say, hey, you’re at the Olympics, but remember this and I can look at it.
‘It was a beautiful moment that I could take the diary with me to those matches and write down exactly what I was feeling at that moment, so that I could think about it later.
‘I originally did it because I thought no one else would see it.
“And then, before you know it, your little scribbles are in the headlines. That was never really the intention.”
In the end, Olyslagers failed to reach 2.02 meters and had to settle for silver, while Mahuchikh took the main prize.
However, fans felt Olyslagers embodied the Olympic spirit and praised the Australian on Twitter.
“Nicola Olyslager’s happiness is contagious!” said one fan.
“This Australian high jumper is so cute,” said another fan. “I’m now an Olyslagers fan.”
A third fan asked: ‘How can you NOT support Nicola Olyslagers?’
‘Nicola Olyslagers is so cute with her little diary.’