Athletics: Winning the mind games

Middle-distance runner Nick Willis has gained a greater sense of appreciation as to the mental approach of his sport. Photo / Greg Bowker

A bullish Nick Willis says he wants to be pre-event favourite heading into the 2012 Olympic Games to help his gold-medal winning chances.

The Olympic 1500m silver medallist, who missed much of the 2009 season recovering from hip surgery, said his time on the sidelines taught him racing is much less a physical and more a mental battle.

The 26-year-old believes embracing the pressures of favouritism can lead to major gains.

"My goal is to be favourite going into London," says Willis, who is targeting the 800m and 1500m double at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October.

"Although it will provide more pressure, I think, ultimately, like John Walker experienced [in the 1976 Olympic 1500m final], you get to dictate the terms of the race. You have an amount of respect and if you capitalise on that, your opponents can almost hand over the race to you."

Willis, a great student of the sport who spends hours replaying past races on the internet, believes Belgium's Ivo van Damme, the silver medallist, or Eamonn Coghlan of Ireland, who placed fourth, should have won gold ahead of Walker in the 1500m final at the Montreal Games.

Instead, he believes the long-haired Kiwi's favourite tag gave him the confidence to go for gold while their rivals lacked the self-belief to strike earlier.

It would be easy for the man from Lower Hutt to offer a more cautious view on his expectations, especially after undergoing hip surgery last April.

But Willis, who was upgraded from Olympic bronze to silver last year after winner Rashid Ramzi was retrospectively stripped of the gold medal for doping, appears even more assured about what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

The US-based athlete was encouraged by the middle-distance performances at last year's world championships in Berlin by athletes from the English-speaking nations. African runners have dominated the events for some time.

But the likes of Great Britain's Lisa Dobriskey and American Shannon Rowbury took the minor medals in the women's 1500m final and this has fuelled an even greater belief in Willis.

"These people really did fantastic [in Berlin]. It really gave me a greater sense of appreciation as to the mental approach to the sport. If they can do it, there is no reason why I can't."

Willis, a huge basketball fan and Detroit Pistons supporter, said he even spent time analysing the on-court play of rookie NBA players compared to their more experienced team-mates during his spell on the sidelines.

"The rookies were just as good as the veterans but weren't sure when to shoot," he says. "They would hesitate and pass the ball. It made me realise the mental approach to our sport is so important. It is not always the fittest person who wins."

Willis, however, knows he faces a massive challenge in 2010. The Commonwealth Games is in October and the late date in the calendar means he is adopting a cautious approach.

He plans to compete in the 1500m at the Melbourne Track Classic on March 4 and nine days later plans an 800m outing in Christchurch before returning to full training.

He doesn't plan to race again until July, when he will target four races in the inaugural Diamond League series as well as the World Continental Cup in Split, the event formerly known as the IAAF World Cup.

"What the season enables me to do is go back to the drawing board and get race mileage," he says. "The World Continental Cup is a motivating factor and there are plenty of opportunities to improve my world ranking and establish my presence on the circuit this year."

The main goal, though, remains the Commonwealth Games. Willis refuses to become embroiled in questions of security, preferring to leave such matters to New Zealand's Chef de Mission.

His target is to not only defend his 1500m title but also win the 800m - a double last achieved by a New Zealander at the 1962 Commonwealth Games by the great Peter Snell.

While he is likely to start 1500m favourite, he remains unproven over 800m at championship level, although he is unfazed at the prospect.

"The accountability of doing the double will propel me to a new level in the 800m, which will benefit my 1500m running. I think it is possible to win both and I wouldn't attempt it if it wasn't possible."

Golf helps Willis get into the swing of things

Avid golfer Nick Willis believes his passion for the sport has helped his athletics career.

Willis, a nine handicapper, believes golf has taught him some valuable lessons he can transfer to the track, like not panicking when things don't go his way.

"I don't think there's a physical aspect to golf helping my running, but the patience and the concentration you need for golf helps," he says.

"The main thing is in golf, if you have a bad hole you have other holes to make that up and so it is the same with running.

"If you have a bad race you can't just think, 'what's the point, I'm going to have a bad season?'.

"Or if you stumble in a 1500m and go to the back of the pack you can't give up."