Canadian Olympian Aaron Brown Talks Training & Paris 2024
With the Paris 2024 Olympics already underway — running July 26th to August 11th of this year — it’s time to get excited. Canada’s pool of athletes is filled with both veteran and rookie contenders alike, all looking to bring home the gold. SHARP has been in chatting with a several of Team Canada’s athletes over the last few weeks to get a bit of a temperature check of the excitement and anticipation as they get ready for competition.
For our next instalment we linked up with Aaron Brown, the two-time Olympic medallist in the 4x100m relay. He’s seen great successes in international competition since his Olympic debut in London in 2012, and heading into Paris he’s as primed as ever to get back up on the podium.
Can you walk us through your journey to the Olympics? From when you started competing, through to how you came to join the Canadian Olympic team?
My Olympic journey started in 2012 at the London Olympic Games, and I was still wet behind the ears — a young, 20-year-old pup — and it was my first international team. I was just excited to be there, amongst the big dogs, and I wanted to show what I could do. Fast forward 12 years, and now I’m going to Paris 2024 as a 32 year old father of two and a husband. I have a wealth of experience to rely on.
With Paris right on the horizon, how are you feeling? Is it excitement, is it nerves?
With Paris on the horizon, I’m feeling great. I’m super excited to go out there and compete. I’m really excited to be able to compete in front of fans; in Tokyo, as you know, with COVID, we couldn’t really compete in front of people, but [now] I expect a packed arena.
Being able to feel that electricity of an Olympics — I’m really looking forward to that, and I feel really good. I’ve been training well, and I feel like I’m ready to go.
The Olympics are a much bigger production than other competitions in your sport. How do you think that will affect the energy between you and your fellow athletes on competition day?
Going into my fourth Olympic Games, I know that the Olympics are much different beast. Even though it’s the same people that you see at the World Championships every year, that you compete against on the circuit, it’s just a way bigger stage — and everyone’s paying attention.
The people who are casual, who don’t really watch track and field, or know anything about the times, they all want to tune in to see who are the fastest people in the world, and they’re rooting for their country. So with that said, there’s gonna be more pressure, more eyes on us, and it’s just gonna be a more exciting. [It’s] a big challenge for us to go after.
How has your training regimen changed as you get closer to the games?
You don’t want to change your training regimen too much going into the games, because you have to do the things that got you to this point, [that] have led you to success. It’s all about tweaking and having a little bit more focus, just dialling in a bit more, doing all the extra little things around the clock that are going to help you be successful — your sleep, your nutrition — the little things that help you recover. All that stuff plays a factor. You just want to dial in and do what got you there. Don’t do anything extra; you don’t have to be a different person. Just be you, and be double as good.
Have you spent much time in Paris before, and are you able to have some free time in the city after you compete?
I’ve been to Paris twice before for Diamond League events. I’ve been to the Eiffel Tower, so I got to do that, and I went to a local restaurant, where I got to try some French cuisines, which is really nice — food over there is top notch, they do not false advertise with that.
I’m looking forward to getting to explore the city a little bit more with my family when I have some downtime. I’m going to be pretty busy guy at the games — I’m doing three events. But, once the championships are over for me, I will have a little bit of time to get to know Paris.
What are you looking forward to most as you head into the competition?
Just the excitement of being at the Olympics. It’s going to be my fourth, and I’ve been waiting for this moment since Tokyo. I just really want to go out there and compete to the best of my ability. I feel great — I’ve been waiting for this moment, and I just want to relish in it.
The Olympics come and go so fast, and you have to wait for four years for another one. So, while it’s here, I want to soak in all of the Olympics experience that’s there, you know? Just be in the moment — just love Paris for all it’s got and love my time out there.
Do you have any advice for other athletes out there who are hoping to make it to the Olympics one day?
Really, just to train for the day that you’re in now. Be present, worry about what’s in front of you. Maximize little challenges and don’t think too far in the future. When you get there, it’ll take care of itself — if you take care of the present when you’re there.
So, make sure you stay healthy because the best ability is availability. If you’re not healthy, you won’t have a chance to get there in the future. Listen to your coach. You know, it’s very cliche to say but it’s very true.
Feature image by Stephen Hosier.
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