Norris set for Tokyo after picking athletics over rugby

When Great Britain’s Jake Norris made his international athletics debut as a teenager, he was still swapping his hammer for a rugby ball.

“I played a lot of sports as I was growing up, rugby was technically first,” he told BBC Radio Berkshire.

“I was a hooker for the most part. I always enjoyed it, but it wasn’t so much like I really enjoyed the game.

“It was because of my friends all doing it. I kind of grew out of it and that’s when I started looking into other sports.”

Now 26, Norris is set for his first World Athletics Championships appearance in Tokyo.

It follows winning the past three British titles, improving his personal best to 77.37m in the process.

“I am very nervous but I’m quite excited for it,” he added.

“It’s not like I’m expected to [win a] medal. I’m trying to learn, trying to get used to the atmosphere and hopefully then just build on it in the future.”

There are plenty of transferable skills between rugby and hammer throwing, especially the combination of strength, power and agility that are needed.

But Norris’ event is one of the most complex to master in track and field.

It involves a metal ball, weighing 7.26kg for men and 4kg for women, attached to a steel wire which has a handle to hold onto.

Athletes typically rotate three or four times to build speed, before releasing the hammer out of the throwing cage.

Many do not reach their prime until late in their careers as they grow both physically and in terms of experience.

“Realistically, I’ve got two or three Olympic cycles still to go and I’m not at my peak until the second one if you base it normally on age, so I’m really excited,” said Norris.

“It’s just about getting the consistency and showing up when you need to.”

The Windsor athlete had been coached by former BBC commentator Paul Dickenson for 12 years, until he passed away last November.

Dickenson, a two-time Olympic hammer thrower, broadcasted from every Summer and Winter Olympic Games between 1992 and 2014.

“He tried his best to come to every single competition I did, no matter where it was,” said Norris.

“It’s been quite hard. For the most part this year, I have been self-coached.

“But I think he gave me what I needed to be able to do it.”

Jake Norris holds up a Great Britain flag after winning World Under-20 gold in 2018

Jake Norris won gold at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Finland [Getty Images]

Top-level opportunities for UK throwers are not easy to come by.

Hammer is the only field event which is not part of the international Diamond League circuit, while Norris narrowly missed out on selection for last year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

At the European Athletics Team Championships in Madrid earlier this year, he gained some experience which could prove useful in Tokyo.

“It was so hot. I did not manage the heat well and my routine was thrown off,” he said of his performance in Spain.

“These things happen. I hadn’t experienced it before so hopefully next time, if something like that happens, I shouldn’t worry too much.

“I know what I have to change in order to make it better.”

Temperatures in Tokyo are expected to exceed 30C for the majority of the championships, which begin on Saturday.