- Nicola Olyslagers started singing before trying to jump.
- Australian star says he doesn’t remember what he was singing
- He explains that God brings him verses and songs to sing.
Australian high jump star Nicola Olyslagers has spoken about how she spontaneously burst into song before her silver medal-winning jump at the Paris Olympics.
Olyslagers, the first Australian woman to clear the 2m mark in the event, faced Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh for gold in a dramatic final in Paris on Sunday.
The 25-year-old had failed on her two previous jumps, and a third would have eliminated her.
The Australian gave it her all in one last go and managed to clear the bar and secure the silver medal.
When Nine’s Karl Stefanovic asked him what he was singing the next day, Olyslagers had no idea.
“That’s a good question,” he said.
“I was in the zone, huh? If we have lip readers in place… I usually do whatever comes into my head.
‘Honestly, God is inside my heart and sometimes He just brings out these verses or these songs, and I just start singing.
Nicola Olyslagers (pictured) burst into song before jumping the 2m in the high jump final.
The Australian revealed that she doesn’t remember what she was singing, but God sometimes brings out verses and songs from within her and she starts singing.
‘It’s something that overwhelms me, because at that moment I have a faith that doesn’t cower under pressure, but rather overcomes it.
‘On the third try I had that ‘you’re going to do it’ moment, and then I just enjoyed every moment.
‘When I took three steps I knew I was going to make it through.’
Olyslagers is a devout Christian who prays before every attempt and says she jumps for “joy for Jesus.”
And he quickly won over the Stade de France crowd and the millions of fans watching from home with his positivity, cheering spectators on before his attempts and beaming with delight every time he made his mark.
But there was one particularly endearing act: Olyslagers was the only athlete to write in a notebook after her jumps.
She has previously called the journal her “little golden book” and gives herself a 10 for every effort.
The devout Christian high jumper’s infectious personality won over fans.
“This went viral and I didn’t really understand why. But it’s my sports training diary and I think it’s like the basic athletics course,” he told Nine.
‘Just write down what you did to train every day. But I went a step further and said, well, what did I learn and what made me feel good and what do I need to change?
‘The Olympics (in Tokyo) lasted two hours and 45 minutes. It was a long time to be there and concentrate.
‘So this book filled me with inspiration and lessons I learned. I could almost write a letter to myself in the future to say, ‘Hey, you’re in the Olympics, but remember this and I’ll see it through.’
‘It was a really beautiful moment to be able to take the journal with me to those competitions and write down exactly what I was feeling at the time so I could reflect on it later.
‘I originally did it because I thought no one else would see it.
“And the next thing you know, your little doodles are making headlines. That was never really the intention.”
In the end, Olyslagers was unable to clear the 2.02m mark and had to settle for silver, while Mahuchikh took the main prize.
But fans felt the Olyslagers embodied the Olympic spirit and took to Twitter to praise the Australian.
“Nicola Olyslager’s happiness is contagious!” said one fan.
“This Australian show jumper is gorgeous,” said another fan. “I’m now a fan of Olyslagers.”
A third fan asked: ‘How can you NOT cheer for Nicola Olyslagers?’
‘Nicola Olyslagers is the cutest thing with her little journalist.’