Welcome back to Strong Women’s new series, Going for Gold, where we’ll be looking behind the scenes with incredible female Olympians and Paralympians in the run-up to Paris 2024. From what their training regimes look like to how they support their hormonal health, consider this your insider guide to what it takes to be one of the best in the world.

This week we’re talking to British high jumper Morgan Lake, who at the Rio Games, while still a teenager, was the first British woman to make an Olympic high jump final since 1992. She initially competed in the pentathlon and heptathlon before specialising in the high jump. Now, at 27, she’s a six-time British champion and will represent Team GB for the third time in Paris. 

Hello, Morgan. Can you start by telling us how you first got into the high jump and when you first knew you had potential?

My dad was an athlete. He did the triple jump when he was younger, so he was keen to get me and my brother involved in sport in some way. High jump happened almost by accident. I wanted to be a long jumper and that was my main thing, but my club wanted me to try all the different athletics so we didn’t specialise too early. 

The club changed our sport week by week to ensure we tried everything. I really enjoyed the jumps, throws and sprints, so that’s when I went into pentathlon and heptathlon, and the high jump was part of those. 

I ended up doing high jump because I love multi-events so much. High jump is probably the event I struggled with the most, but once I cracked it, I enjoyed it a lot more.

What does an average week of training look like for you – how much time do you spend practising the high jump versus other exercise?

I do high jump training twice a week, usually on Mondays and Fridays. Then I have three days of gym-based strength training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesday and Saturday are my speed and general training days. So, we do speed work and medicine ball throws, which is my power output. On Wednesdays, I do plyometrics and a little bit of speed work.

That’s a lot of work. How do you go about fuelling your sessions, and do you have a go-to meal?

I try to eat eggs every morning with avocado toast. It has protein, carbs and fat, and it’s a quick and easy meal to start my day.

Do you drink caffeinated coffee?

I’ve got a coffee right next to me now. I’m definitely a coffee drinker. I always have it on the day of a competition. When I’m getting ready, I give myself an hour to have a coffee, get ready and get in the zone of competing. I use it as an energy source.

Do you drink alcohol?

I don’t drink during competition and training periods. I find it’s quite inflammatory and doesn’t help my sleep cycles. Sometimes, at the end of the season, I’ll have an Aperol spritz with my friends but definitely during the off-season and when I am on holiday. 

How many hours do you sleep a night – and is it enough?

I’ve been wearing an Oura ring since February which helps me to track my sleep and activity. On average I get about eight hours a night, which I think is pretty good. I tend not to sleep in; once I’m awake, I’ll stay awake. Weekends and weekdays end up being the same.

Does your training schedule allow for hormonal fluctuations – ie a regular menstrual cycle – and how do you manage those?

It isn’t something we will necessarily plan training around, but obviously there are days when I’m feeling a bit low energy or not myself. In those cases, we can have a lighter day and my coach is quite good at being able to change things. If I say “I’m in pain and I can’t train today,” my coach will let me have the morning off and let my body recover. They don’t want me to just push through things.

How do you prepare for a big competition?

My coach Robbie gives us a template, which is my aim and intention for the competition. Then we go through what I want to do on the competition day, this includes what I think my start height will be and our call times. Going through the day helps to keep us on track. 

I always have a porridge pot to take around with me for every competition day. And I have a 15-minute yoga video on YouTube, which I do the night before and the morning of every competition.

And what if you win? How do you celebrate?

On competition days I barely eat anything – just due to the timings of the day and because I’m nervous. So whenever I finish a competition, I’m always really, really hungry. It’s nothing crazy, but I’ll celebrate with a nice meal. Most competitions are still in the season but there is a big party after the last competition of the year. I’m usually so exhausted after competitions that I just want a nice pizza or something to get all the energy and calories back.

Who do you see as the greatest icon/inspiration for women in high jump?    

As a kid I looked up to Blanka Vlašić; she was my favourite high jumper.

If you were to give an amateur high jumper one tip for improving, what would that be?

One of the main things is to look above the bar rather than look at the bar because, sometimes, when you’re trying to clear a bar it’s always going to seem high. But, if I look above and try and jump that, it becomes a little bit easier. 

Training and practice is the main thing. I am very thankful to The National Lottery for the support I get to be able to train as I do now, where I can focus on being my best and have wraparound support. Whether you’re just starting or training for the Olympics, trying to improve just a little bit every day is important. 

Morgan Lake features in Path to Paris: The Hunt For Gold – a new documentary, supported by The National Lottery, airing on Saturday 20 July at 5pm on Channel 4. The programme follows British athletes as they prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and offers a unique insight into how National Lottery players support them on their journey.

Images: Getty/The National Lottery