While many Olympians undergo years of fine-tuning, Lawrence Okoye’s relatively recent return to discus has required something of a race to prepare him for the Games. 

But in the fortnight leading up to Tokyo 2020’s Opening Ceremony, the Croydon thrower has seen marked improvement. 

Okoye competed at London 2012 as a 20-year-old, reaching the final, but then opted to try and crack the NFL – spending more than four years on the practice squads of teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. 

He only returned to discus in 2019 and then saw the Covid pandemic wipe out most competitions the following year, leaving him a sprint to not only qualify for the Games but also make the necessary gains to compete with the very best in the world once more. 

“I’ve been spending all my time on technique and I’ve been making some great strides in past ten days or so,” explained Okoye, speaking on the day of the Games’ Opening Ceremony. 

“I’m throwing really far in training and trying to simulate as much of the preparation as possible, the timings and that kind of stuff. 

“When it comes to technique, my issue is it’s been flimsy. I’ve thrown very far on some days but not on other days.  

“I know I have the distances in my back pocket because I’ve seen them but there’s a big difference to pulling it out in training or doing it in a competition. 

“It’s about being as fluid as possible and having a technique that allows me to get all the power that I can generate into the discus. 

“I haven’t done that thus far but I’ve improved a lot over the last ten days. I’ve been competing a lot this year, so I haven’t had that much sustained full training for the last four months, so it’s been good to have a quiet period where I can work on the fundamentals.” 

National Lottery support has been vital for Okoye and through playing the National Lottery, players have helped transform the fortunes of Team GB over the past two decades.

Okoye isn’t setting a specific results target for Tokyo, saying his only aim is to perform to the best of his ability and show the mental strength to perform under pressure on the world’s biggest stage. 

Almost a decade on from his previous Olympic appearance, with all that period spent competing as an elite sportsman, the 29-year-old is a completely different person to the young buck who entered London 2012. 

“I was very focused in 2012, I just didn’t necessarily have the tools technically and maybe mentally, I wasn’t quite ready for that moment,” added Okoye, who is able to train full-time and benefit from world class facilities, technology, coaching and support teams thanks to National Lottery funding – which has never been more important in getting him to the start line after a turbulent year.

“I was 20 at the time and the average age of the field was 30, so I was ahead of the game physically but not quite technically. 

“That’s been my biggest issue in terms of distances I can produce. Mentality-wise, I’ve spent a lot of time in sport, so I know a lot about sports performance across all aspects.  

“That has helped me get better and hopefully will help me perform well next week.” 

No one does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £36 million each week for good causes including grassroots and elite sport. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has at http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtags: #TNLAthletes #MakeAmazingHappen