Fresh off a silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships and with Olympic and World Championships accolades already under his belt, Wayne Pinnock is now setting his sights on something exceptional - a standout performance on home soil at the Racers Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old long jumper arrived on the island on Wednesday night and will make his debut at the highly anticipated meet this Saturday at the National Stadium. For Pinnock, who lives and trains overseas, it marks his first appearance at Racers Grand Prix and his first outdoor competition at home since turning professional after the Paris Olympic Games last year where he won a silver medal in the Men’s Long Jump.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to come back in front of my home fans so I am looking forward to doing exceptionally well, to just go out there and execute as usual,” he said on arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport.
Now navigating the transition from the US collegiate competition after three years, to life as a professional athlete, Pinnock admits that it’s been an adjustment, but one that he is embracing.
“It’s my first year as a pro, I am working my way into it, so I am just going to go out there and execute,” Pinnock said. “Coming from the college level to the professional level it’s way more different. Coach normally preps us more because the college level is weekly, back-to-back weeks, but now we are mainly just chilling, practising and lifting a lot of weights.”
He is happy to be back in a familiar place. Though still early in the season, Pinnock is hoping to deliver something memorable for fans inside the National Stadium.
“The main focus is to go out there and try to hit back that mark because me and coach have been working on some stuff,” he shared, adding that, “we are not trying to do crazy stuff as yet, but I plan to go out there and have fun.”
With silver medals from the Olympics, and most recently World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, Pinnock’s career is already glittering and he is hungry for more. In particular, the long jump sensation is looking forward to his first outdoor season as a pro and gets to make that debut on home turf at the Racers Grand Prix.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be a professional athlete. My dream was always to become a professional athlete, and I prayed about it. I asked God to put me in the right position with my future. I went to the Olympics last year, got a silver medal, so I’m looking forward to doing very well this coming summer,” Pinnock revealed.
And the journey to something greater will begin with something exceptional at Racers Grand Prix this weekend.