We are just 17 days from the start of the
Olympics and one Miami Hurricane.
Russell Robinson secured a spot on Team USA and is
getting ready to pack his bags for Paris.
You got that right.
NBC6 Sports reporter Giselle Espinales has more from Coral Cables.
Russell Robinson is living proof that through hard work and
determination you can achieve your dreams.
From walk on athlete at the University of Miami to
national champion to now Olympian, punching his ticket to Paris
in the men's triple jump for Team USA feels great.
I mean, just all the the dedication and everything I
put into the sport on and off the track, just
seeing everything come to fruition and it's amazing just to
like I said, been on this long journey and all
these years of training and practice year round, just for
this moment to finally go, you know, being Olympian.
It sounds like a crazy thing was actually it's happening.
For Robinson, his strategy for the big stage is to
keep his routine the same.
It's the same thing that we've been doing all year.
Don't want to switch anything up just because it's an
Olympic meet.
Getting back to training this week and maintaining the strength
of speed, everything, making sure that my body feels good.
So staying in the training room, in the room, eating
and taking care of my body outside of track, staying
hydrated for sure.
I mean, I'm not one of those guys that gets
all hype and everything.
I kind of stay to myself and do what I
need to do.
And one of the big things for the jumps is
the clap.
A lot of people like to call it clap and
that's when everybody in the stands just claps along and
it kind of hypes a lot of people up.
But I like to just do my thing and stay
in my own zone and just be a dog to
myself for real.
And I don't need a whole bunch of outside motivation,
everything to do what I need to do.
Robinson thanks his family for all the support they have
shown him, as well as his coach at EU, Rob
Jarvis, who saw the potential in Robinson back when he
was in high school.
Makes my life a lot easier, makes us look really
good where it's just he's very goal oriented and just
times where he came in second and just saying a
little upset.
But I'm obviously work to this point.
And I think if you touched on it, he was
a long jump out of high school.
He really didn't triple jump.
So just seeing his progression and just the time he's
put in and just see now he's going to get
a chance on the world stage, it makes me makes
me feel really happy for him.
This will be the first time Robinson has been to
Europe, and even though he is staying focused on his
training, he's excited about going somewhere new and having this
experience with his family by his side.
I've been out the country maybe like once or twice,
but Paris is I've never been in Europe.
That'll be a fun experience and in my family, my
mom, my dad and my sister all coming out there
a week before I compete.
So it'll be fun to just have a little mini
vacation with them and explore.
I think it'll it'll be the first time for everybody
except for my dad, so that'll be a cool experience.
And just to see the Eiffel Tower.
I don't really know too much about Paris.
And through it all, no matter what the outcome is,
all the hard work has been worth it.
Closing a chapter at the University of Miami as a
champion and now being forever remembered as an Olympian.
It feels great.
It's still, it's still weird to hear people calling me
an Olympian because it's just like, I feel like I'm
so humble and I just want to stay to myself
and do my just keep training and do my thing.
And when I'm walking around the building, Oh my God,
the Olympians here.
And it's like, just relax.
So Russell, of course, still soaking it all in, but
the work continues as he gets ready for the Olympic
Games in Paris in the triple jump, he says he's
going to enjoy every single moment of it.
Reporting from Coral Gables, I'm Giselle Espinales, NBC6 Sports.