Sandi Morris may look like the girl next door, yet she’s anything but. The 31-year-old is a two-time world champion, holds the US Indoor Pole Vault record (16 feet, 3 inches), and won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Later this month, she’ll compete to qualify for her third Olympic Games. She took time out of training to talk with TOWN about her thrilling victories, lasting lessons, and big plans.
Q&A with Sandi Morris
You’re training at the University of Arkansas. How’s that going?
After a series of coaching changes, I came back here to where I went to college, as a Hail Mary. I’ve found working hand-in-hand with this training program has been really good for me. My confidence comes from what I’m doing in training. I know I’m in a position to jump heights that will contend for a gold medal. I just have to get consistent at those in a competition setting.
You’re eight years older than when you won silver. How do you battle opponents plus Father Time?
The key is you can’t do as many competitions. You can jump just as high, but injury prevention is harder, and you train smarter. I have a new strength coach and sprint coach. We have the speed data, and I’m as fast as I’ve ever been. That makes me confident on the runway.
Paris could be your third Olympic appearance. What’s that like?
It’s different. When you first come out of college, you’re a rookie. Now that I’ve made a name for myself, there’s more expectation going into it. Honestly, I try to harness that youthful spirit that made me so successful from day one. Don’t put any pressure on myself and just have fun jumping.
What’s it like to fly through the air?
Learning to pole vault is frustrating, but once you learn how to run with the pole, and take off, and swing your body? It’s really fun. When all the movements come together, I whip myself upside down like a rubber band, you get flung and fly over the bar. It feels like you’re a bow and arrow and you fly through the air.
Coming off a fantastic experience in Rio, your arrow hit a wall at the Tokyo Games. The video is heart-stopping.
Yes. I would say my Olympic journey has been a wild ride. First COVID delayed those games by a year, which is huge for an athlete in training, and then my pole broke during competition while I was in the air, and I hurt my hip flexor. I’ve made 15,000 jumps in my career and only broken four poles. I won’t lie; it was pretty devastating at the time. But now, I see it as a chapter in my journey and that Olympics doesn’t define me in any way. If anything, it gives me an opportunity to make an even bigger statement coming up in Paris.
Growing up and competing for Greenville High, did you envision these heights? Pardon the pun.
My parents were both multi-track and field athletes. We’re a sports family. My mom was the track coach at Greenville High and created a family for everyone. I learned my passion from them. I’m very lucky. I discovered I was talented at a young age. Not everyone finds that at the age of 7. Track and field has given me everything. It’s given me best friends, an outlet to have fun, to be myself.
It also gave you your husband, Tyrone Smith, a long-jumper born in Bermuda.
He’s done so much to support me. He splits his time between Atlanta, where he now works, and here. It’s a lot of sacrifice. He’s been to three Olympics and understands what I need to do. This fall, we’ll have to figure out how to get back to the same city.
What are your long-term goals?
I’m a fighter. This isn’t about one Olympics. This is my career. I’ve always had a goal of competing internationally for a decade and next season will be that. I’ve always had a goal to have a long-term impact on the world of track and field and not be a flash in the pan. You really have to take it one year at a time. I’d love to be able to go through the LA Games and retire in LA. I know I’ve already made my mark on this sport.
Best of luck. . . your hometown is rooting for you!
Fun Facts
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Sandi keeps her silver medal from Rio in a fireproof box in her home. She’s considering letting her folks hang onto it, because so many people in the Upstate ask to see it.
When COVID shut down training opportunities, her parent’s neighborhood in Piedmont helped build a pole vault pit so she could practice for the Tokyo Olympics.
Sandi also sings! She recently recorded “Up and Over” for the Paris Olympics, which dropped on streaming platforms in May. She was honored to perform the song live at the LA Grand Prix professional track meet.
