British triple jump champion Adelaide Omitowoju is motivated to become the first woman to represent Great Britain at an Olympics in the field event since 2012.
Yamilé Aldama was the last woman to represent Great Britain in the event at an Olympics, where she finished fifth with an impressive jump of 14.48m in London 13 years ago.
The Olympics remains the dream for the Harrow athlete too, and the added pressure that comes with being the British champion is only making Omitowoju stronger.
She said: “LA 2028 is on my mind more than any [Olympics] have ever been, it’s my motivating force.
“I think there’s a lot of steps to do before then, but ultimately you’ve got to aim high.
“I’m using it as proof that I’m doing what I should be doing.
“The past two seasons have reminded me that, oh, I am really good at triple jump and I could really progress in this.”
Limited financial support in athletics while competing against the world’s best will certainly test the British number two in her quest for Olympic qualification, though.
Indeed, financial support is an issue for those trying to break onto the Olympics scene and the athlete cited many her age who are forced to quit due to a lack of it.
Coach Ben Davies has been training Omitowoju since she was a junior and believes finances play a major role in break-through athletes’ struggles.
He said: “As a country, we’re not set up to develop field sectors very well, from a coach support standpoint, from an athlete support standpoint, and from media coverage to encourage wider support, financially or otherwise.
“I just don’t think it’s there for the event.”
Omitowoju, 26, had her first taste of triple jump in 2016 at secondary school in Cambridge, stepping in because no one knew how to jump.
But within six months, she was training and committed to seeing her potential in the sport.
In the following years, the Brit was competing regularly at UK Athletics Championships, jumping for Harrow, but unable to compete for the top places.
She said: “I’ve been going to the British Championships since 2018, but back then I was jumping a lot less far.
“I was more there to fill positions than I was there for the podium.”
But nine years later, Omitowoju was joyously reminiscing about becoming the British Athletics champion in August 2025 at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, jumping 13.62m and lifting her first senior title.
She said: “It was actually insane.
“For the past three years I’ve been aiming towards the podium and if not gold.
“But It was surreal – even though it was my aim, I was still amazed that it happened.”
Omitowoju is trying to balance a part-time job in racial equity, with a post-colonial masters in London, along with training to be involved in an Olympics.
Davies described the UK Athletics Championship win this year as a massive milestone in her career and the cherry on the cake after winning every domestic podium up until then.
The coach believes she is finally fully fit and well-equipped to achieve her dream of competing in an Olympic Games.
He said: “This is the first year where she’s walking into winter completely healthy and we understand what we need to do next.
“It’s a very realistic target [LA 2028].”
With little triple-jumping success in Britain for decades, Davies is looking deeper and has targeted support outside of the UK.
He said: “I speak regularly with Thea LaFond’s coach who won the Olympics and he gave me advice on where Ade needs to go next.
“From a British perspective, we haven’t had an elite female triple jumper in decades. We’re actually reaching outside [of Britain].
“Her support network is very solid in that respect. I think that’s what makes this more realistic now.
“Adelaide has got some of the best support in the country.”
Davies believes the UK has inherited a voluntary model from generations past and coaches are no longer able to support athletes in the same way required at such a high level.
Yet despite this, he’s convinced change will take place.
Davies said: “From a governing body position, the pathways don’t support the athlete.
“But the older generation will die out and the younger generations are going to come in and realise there’s not enough people coming into the sport.
“So it will change. It’s just a matter of how and when.”
Harrow Athletics Club president Tony Bush, has overseen his schoolboy club’s rise from local level to national prominence.
Bush holds deep ties with the now Premiership Champion club, who sent four competitors to the World Athletics Championships this year in Tokyo.
He naturally relishes the idea of all of his athletes entering an Olympic Games, but he admitted it would be that little bit sweeter if Omitowoju particularly could make it.
Bush said: “We’ll be especially proud if she gets there because of her club roots, it would be an extra level of pride if she gets to that level.
“It’s her commitment to the club sector, she always competes in the national athlete competitions, and she won all three this year.”
Moreover, Bush analysed the strengths and challenges the 26-year-old possesses in her venture to the Olympics.
He said: “She’s a very beautifully balanced athlete, which is one of her main strengths and she’s very very good technically.
“She will need to be quicker on the runway, I think that area she needs to work on, and if she does that successfully she will have every chance.”
Feature image: Pat Scaasi
Join the discussion