APRIL 2021

April 30, 2021

Currently living in Manchester with his girlfriend, and an old friend Gus – a fellow Scot and British Cycling mechanic – GB Track Sprinter Jack Carlin has been competition-less since the Track World Championships March 2020, where he gained a silver medal in the team sprint and a 4th in the Kierin.

The year out of competition, and many months out of the training structure he has become accustomed to, has resulted in the formidable, and rather unique challenge for the 23 year old Paisley native - preparing for a debut Olympic games from his back garden.

A ten day break after the World Championships allowed enough time for a quick trip to Spain for some golf before beginning the final Tokyo Olympic prep. However, rather than waiting on selection for any of the three events he specialises in - Team Sprint, Individual Sprint, and the Kierin - Jack returned home and went almost immediately into the first UK Lockdown. Far from making final adjustments for the Games, mid-March’s activities took the form of loading a squat rack into the back of a van and setting up a patio-gym for the for-seeable future.

Over the ensuing months, ‘working from home’ for an elite athlete, took the form of squatting under a tarp and sprinting a track bike down the A6 during his permitted 1-hour exercise. The lack of structure, physios, team-mates, and even social-life that Jack had become accustomed to in the 5 years he has been with Team GB, has – understandably – taken its toll.

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“To be honest I’d have really struggled with A; motivation, and B; just getting through day-to-day training sessions. Without Gus, I’d have really struggled through the first lockdown… I went through about a month of just ticking a box”

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“Mentally, I think I declined quite quickly” Jack tells me, candidly opening up on the obvious disappointment of the postponed games. “British cycling is so heavily Games focused… we never bring the absolute best we can until the Olympics.”

An enormous focus on The Games is part-and-parcel of being a member of Team GB - the Olympics are valued above all other competitions. To come within months of becoming an Olympian and racing in Tokyo, to then face what was initially an indefinite period of home-training, is a blow to even the admirably resilient Carlin. 

Other events, as prestigious even as the World Championships, simply aren’t top priority, training is tapered precisely over the famous ‘4-year-cycle’ in order to allow the athletes to peak for The Games. “Sacrificing those - for a games that didn’t happen - was hard.”

Jack’s own personal frustration at being unable to compete is balanced with a healthy view of the bigger picture: 

“In my bubble it’s all ‘Olympics, Olympics, Olympics’, but if you step outside the velodrome, people are dying…. Another year is not going to hamper me, I’m only getting better and better at the moment… if it’s another year on, that’s not the end of the world.”

Despite the challenges presented by his year of lockdown-training, some highlights have un-expectedly arisen as a result of having the time to solely focus on training.

“Training-wise I’ve actually  been going well, gym’s going really well, I’ve put on a fair bit of muscle… I managed to work up to 220kg back squat, the only reason I got that up was the fear of dropping it and it going through my patio. I’ve got stronger than I’ve ever been…

…when do we ever get the opportunity to just train for a year? There is only so much you can do in those little blocks between racing to become better. I can honestly see the Olympics next year having phenomenal times and achievements through every sport because everyone’s just been literally head down and training as hard as they can… there’s nothing else to do.”

Keeping things balanced and in perspective is characteristic of Jack’s approach to training, and to life in general, with happiness top of the agenda. “I can only give 100% when I’m mentally happy” he tells me, before citing one of his favourite stories to back up his own philosophy; a rumour about Usain Bolt eating chicken nuggets before his 100m final – which he subsequently won - at the 2012 London Olympics.

“The hard part is done at that point, it doesn’t matter what you do on that days in terms of the build-up, if you have one bad sleep before it, it’s not gonna ruin your chances… that (Usain Bolt story) might well be true, it’s about keeping your head happy - you’re the best you can be, physically, nothing is going to stop that, what is going to stop you is not being mentally your best.”

“Don’t pass off every opportunity, find the balance. I know when I can go and have a pint, I know when I can go away with my pals on holiday and say ‘I’m not an athlete for a day’…”

Jack’s laid back and humble demeanour plays an essential role in his success, after all, this is a man stepping into the shoes of cycling gods, and he hasn’t got there by accident. His calm and collected philosophy is balanced finely with the rugged, competitive fire that you would only expect from a man racing on a team with the likes of 6-time Olympic Champion, Jason Kenny, and following the footsteps of GB’s most successful Olympian – not just cyclist – ever, Sir Chris Hoy.

Final selection for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics is in May, and Jack is confident that he will be be selected for all 3 of his events. Before mentioning his ambitions for the coming Olympics, and the rest of his very promising career, Jack’s under-stated attitude breaks through once more - despite the immense pressure of Team GB’s relentless pursuit of gold, getting to the Olympics is the first step:

“First of all, we’ve got to get there, and I want to be there in the best form I can be, with all my health, and COVID-free, and be at the Olympics and be an Olympian…

…But I do want to walk away with at least a medal or two… preferably gold….

… I think within the squad, we might lose sight of the fact that any medal is a phenomenal achievement. But it’s good pressure, if you’re not here to win then why are you here?”