What missing the 2020 Olympics by 2 seconds taught world champion, Jordan Thomas

Q: Jordan, thank you for joining me. When we first met, we spoke about your career and rise to world champion in karate. I understand that you had just missed out on the Olympics, yet you were so matter of fact about it. Tell us what happened and how you have been able to face this so bravely.?

Jordan Thomas : With karate world champion 2016 already on my CV, I was on the path to the Tokyo Olympics 2020. UK Sport and the lottery funded me to get there, having recognised my potential to take the next step up to be an Olympic athlete.?

Qualifying and competing was almost in my grasp. I had about five fights and was on fire taking people out. In the first round, my dad was my opponent’s coach. You could imagine my head going in. “Jordan, you still got a job to do,” was what my psychologist, Steve Peters, said when I called him. That levelled me out. I got my head in the game and blocked out my dad to focus on my opponent. My dad had a job to do and so did I. In that moment, when facing your opponent, their achievements or what country they are from does not matter. Everybody is the same and has the drive to win. With my focussed mindset, I was fighting well and winning.?

I then got through to one of the most important fights needed to qualify for the Olympics. To chase that dream of being a gold medallist, I had to win. It came down to the last few seconds. I received a head kick and then my opponent was a few points up. I have seen people come back to win in the last few seconds. I had done it before. Unfortunately, the last two seconds were not enough to recover the points.?

Sometimes, you simply need to accept the outcome and take ownership of it. My opponent was doing his job with that head kick, and I can’t take away from that. That’s why karate is an elite sport. It is very competitive.?

Q: How important was leaning on your psychologist to help you face the disappointment with such poise and pragmatism that we’re seeing now??

?JT: My psychologist was massively important. Mindset is everything. If one thing is drilled into me, it’s this. I won the medals because of who I am. For me, the saying “You give a million, and you take away a million pounds from a millionaire” embodies the champion mindset because you know how to make that million back. It’s not about the money. It doesn’t define who you are. It is because you know you are good enough. That’s how you manage things as a champion. It also puts things into perspective.?

A big turning point for me was embracing who I am and becoming more successful at enjoying just being Jordan Thomas. My psychologist helps by challenging me too. You have to internalise and accept it. Rise to the challenge. It’s all about having that growth mindset. It doesn’t matter if you are a world champion or a beginner, things can turn a bit left and divert from the intended path at any time.??

I remember my psychologist’s first challenge to me: “Jordan, is your bedroom clean?”. “Yeah,” I said, but I didn’t know what this had to do with anything. “Is your car clean?”, was the next question. I did not know where he was going with this. “You have to be the best in every little area and forge habits. It will be easier to be a champion in whatever you do because having the mindset is just like a habit,” my psychologist concluded. Lightbulb moment. All I can do is give my best and be the best at whatever I put my mind to.??

Q: You could have been the best at a number of different endeavours. Was there ever any idea that you would go into another sport??

JT: I got run over when I was two years old. I refer back to this event because it instilled resilience to keep pushing forward and be my best self. The doctors told my parents that I might not walk again, but as I was young I could recover with hard work and rehab. During my recovery, it meant always being a little bit behind other people on the physical side of things. I attribute my competitiveness to this drive to succeed.?

I enjoyed competitive sports and used to play football for Luton schools. I got scouted aged 14. My dad made me choose football as a proving ground – if you want to be the best, then you have to dedicate yourself. Football takes up a lot of time. I wanted to be a karate champion, like my dad. I grew up immersed in that martial arts environment and felt so inspired by the people my dad surrounded us with (my godfather is a four-time world karate champion!). My dad came from the golden era of karate, and I had that to look up to. I knew the history and had some insight from everyone’s stories about what winning felt like. I gravitated towards that.?

For college, I went to an elite performance academy. Here, I trained with a range of aspiring athletes – from sprinters to bobsledders to horse riders. It was a very competitive environment to start off in. Everyone wanted to be a champion and the best. Although you could do virtually any sport, the most competitive was definitely table tennis in the common room (which was pretty funny). When I was 18, I went to play for Oakland’s basketball first and second teams. I could play well enough but wanted to be the best and so I worked hard. Training and developing in other sports helped my karate go to the next level too. I had a clear vision of where I needed to go and what ‘the best’ looked like.?

After college I wanted to build up my infrastructure to be a professional sportsman. What did I need? Well, my godfather studied neuroscience and I need a psychologist. He’ll do. I also needed a track coach and a career coach. My dad became my career coach. And it was just like that, ticking them off the list. The next task was funding and getting a job to pay for everything. I worked hard to make sure it all came together.?

People ask me right now, what alternative sport would I do? Maybe MMA. Maybe taekwondo. I am not sure. I know being a sportsman is in my blood, as is being a world champ in karate.?

Q: Interestingly, football and basketball are all team sports and you have put that team around you to pursue your individual sport. Is that something you have thought about??

JT: One hundred percent. You need certain people to be around you to bring you up and help you take a step back too. This is especially important in the Olympic process, as ups and downs are inevitable. Once you have got the desire, you need to set a goal. Once you have a goal set, you need an action plan. Finally, to live and breathe the action plan you need a support network.?

Since 2017, I have had an analyst come to every single competition to see me. My lifestyle coach, media manager, performance manager, and psychologist all genuinely care about my career. With the right support network, you can break through your limits and fly.??

Q: With all these different people contributing to your strength and conditioning plan, how do you fit everything into a week or a day? Can you take us through what your routine looks like??

JT: The standard is three times a day when you’re a full-time athlete. The first thing you do when you get up is eat. You then head to your first training session, which is closely followed by a rehab session with physios for injury prevention. If I have any injuries, then during this time they are treated. Next activity is the karate training session. Sometimes, between all this you also have meetings with the psychologist, nutritionist, and discussions regarding media requests. It sounds like a lot, but you make it fit. You have to get it done and that’s what I do.?

Q: What about when you’re working to support all of that? It must be tough fitting work around such a jam-packed schedule.?

JT: I always say that if you have the desire to do something, but need to work at the same time, look for a job that supports and can co-exist with that desire. From there, you can walk towards your dream and be a champ. Otherwise, the job is a barrier. Because I desired something and worked in a place that supported that, I wasn’t restricted. It elevated me and I could compete against full-time athletes. I was a personal trainer and a fitness instructor for a while.?

Q: Balancing both training and a full-time job is a big commitment and not for the faint-hearted. You must have put a lot of work into keeping that mindset and staying focussed on the end goal. It becomes too easy when you work full-time to skip the gym one evening after work. It’s easy to do, but there are no excuses for you.?

JT: Exactly. I always counterbalance the negative with the positive. This is something I do and have learned this technique on my journey. It helps me not stress out and it became very easy, like the habits we spoke about earlier, to build this into my journey.?

?Q: I liked that you picked up on the fact that your clients were proud of you and that Jordan Thomas had trained them.?

JT: I want to say that I gave them my best. Relationships, whether old or new, matter. Training others kept things alive, and I am very proud of them too.?

Q: Talking about being proud, let’s talk about your parents and your father. Growing up, particularly with a father who is a world champion fighter, must have been interesting. Even more so, because you’re from Luton.?

?JT: Yes, “You come from Luton? Whoa.” I get that all the time. It is all about the circles you move in, and my family is very supportive of what I do. It wasn’t uncommon to go out, make something happen and be successful at it. I wasn’t restricted and was nurtured with sports (primarily martial arts, football, and basketball). Through my grounding in sports, I was able to make right decisions in pressurised situations where things had the potential to go the other way. It is an important skill, as things can change in a split second. I think awareness of your surroundings and handling difficult situations should be coached more to young people as it helped me move in the right direction.?

I have a good group of friends, who all have quite diverse but creative jobs. There’s a music producer, a graphic designer, an animator, and a photographer. We are all a team and have supported the dreams of each other. Again, this should be taught more to young people and encouraged.??

Q: You are right. It is all about knowing your values, sticking to your goals, and having clarity in those split-second decisions. This could benefit young people, perhaps maybe keep some out of trouble, and should be taught in schools. You clearly had an evident vision of where you wanted to be and had to say no to the actions that would have taken you down a different path.?

Your father knew the challenges that you would face as a professional. Were there any points where he tried to convince you that perhaps this was not the right path??

JT: Trust me, especially growing up, my dad persuaded me to try out a number of paths. “Oh, do you want to be a chef?”, he said. “Sounds good,” was my response. I then went into a chef academy and after two years decided that it wasn’t for me. “Do you want to be a scientist? You always liked science at school,” was my dad’s next question. “Let’s try it out.” Academics was a massive thing for him. I am very dyslexic, but for him it was okay. We had tried several routes to see if I enjoyed any. The next step was sport.?

Q: Do you think you really admired your father and wanted to follow in his footsteps??

It must have been really challenging when he was the coach for the Hong Kong team fighting against you. It must have been a struggle for him too.??

JT: I know it was hard for him because I even asked him what it was like coaching from the other side. We had won the world championship together. He had been my coach for a very long time. After I got the title, dad got a job offer from Hong Kong and he took it. That’s where we separated. It felt strange.?

In the Olympic qualifiers over the last four years, we had never come across one another. In the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers there must have been in the region of one hundred countries in my category. In the first round, I had Hong Kong. Tell me, how did that happen? It was just one of those things. I had a job to do and so had he. I guess all these things add to our story.?

Q: How much of an impact do you think the delay of a year for the Olympics had on things? I know you are not one to make excuses, but do you think that it did have an impact??

?JT: Yes. Not being able to compete was hard, particularly when you could see other countries with different regulations carrying on as usual. I am a glass half full kind of guy and felt privileged to be able to get my fitness bike in my room during the first lockdown. I was also able to borrow dumbbells and fitness equipment from the gym. My support network remained brilliantly supportive as ever.??

Though the year pause did impact me, it also enabled me to make changes. It gave me space to tune into what mattered. Every morning I called my grandparents, and we would have a fitness session. I would call up my cousins and see what active thing we could do either virtually or social-distanced. In this way, we all stay connected. The family quizzes were pretty hard (and I am pretty sure everyone will be quizzed-out after this is all over!). It goes to show that when things get hard, people come together.??

Q: From my own experience with my son being a British go-karting champion, I know that any young champion has parents behind the scenes who spend hours preparing, travelling all over the country, cooking meals, etc. There also can be quite a financial cost too.?

At what age do you think you became aware of your parent’s financial commitments and time invested in your journey in karate???

JT: I have always been very aware. My dad has always been involved in sport and often coached other athletes at the same time. I mentioned before that he was my coach. We used to travel together a lot. When I was 16 years old, I started to be on a higher level of karate and on the cusp of breaking into the England scene. I was very thoughtful of when a trip was needed to compete then it was going to cost this much, and that my parents would need to support that.?

Looking at other athletes, I came to realise just how much money is put in – especially those that had already gone to international competitions and ran the circuit. I was lucky that my parents were so supportive and kept the fire alive. At the age of 16 it is all too easy to go out with your friends. It is for this reason that ages 16 – 20 see the biggest dropout in sport, due to social pressures.?

Q: There must also have been a financial implication too. You mentioned that you were supported by UK Sport and also lottery funding. Is that funding something that supported you for a while, or was only available in the lead up to the Olympics??

JT: Before my winning fight in the World Championships, I came home and received a message that my phone bill had bounced. I was 22 at the time and remember thinking, “I got this.” I became world champion (but you don’t necessarily get paid for that). I won my second world medal the following year in 2017 and doors started slowly opening. There was talk of UK Sport offering a program to help fund me to go to the Olympics.? As a champion, I had proven my ability in the sport and was awarded the funding later that year. It gave me the support network to travel here, there, and everywhere. I would not have been able to prepare for the Olympics fully if it was not for the funding.?

Q: It sounds like funding is a game-changer in levelling the playing field to ensure athletes are competing on merit and not because they have financial resources. All then have a shot at being champion.?

In general, do you think there is scope within sports to lower the age to secure funding? You also had two world medals under your belt before they noticed you.?

JT: One hundred percent. The lottery funding changed my life and gave me time to reflect. I was able to get a mortgage and do all these things that I could not see were possible at the time. It is a wonderful feeling when representatives of the lottery and UK Sport said, “For your hard work, we have got this for you, and we can also do this.”? Sport can enrich our lives and impact us in unexpected ways.?

Q: You mentioned sport can do so much and that really resonated with me. I remember living in Hackney during the Olympics and there was this amazing electric feeling in the air. Sport brought the whole country and world together. As an athlete, it is within your power to do that.?

It is also very special that the lottery funding and UK Sport were able to support you in having a life outside of sport, to get a mortgage and a house, etc. These are life steps that many of us take for granted. You can now finally say that this is another box ticked.??

JT: Yes. Especially being from Luton where there are not many opportunities, it has not been easy. You have to make your own opportunities. My experience of me making this happen has been unbelievable. There’s been so many new doors open. Never give up on your desire to do something, even if you cannot do it at the moment.?

Q: Speaking about opening new doors and your future, what is next for Jordan Thomas? You mentioned taekwondo and MMA, but I know your heart is still in karate. What is going to happen now?

JT: There are European championships next year and MMA opportunities, but I am currently involved in a charity called Inspire You. Next year I will be going to Africa. There are children in social care, and we will be taking them to South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. We will teach some martial arts and mindfulness, and ultimately see what we can do for the kids out there. We want to inspire them, uncover opportunities, and encourage them to follow their desire. Later on, we will all climb Mount Kilimanjaro and I think the kids aged 16 to 18 will love it.?

That is just me giving back. I want to help other people achieve their dreams. Everyone is entitled to follow their dream and desire, sometimes you just need the right team to help you take that first step.?

Q: You are such a positive role model for so many of these young people. Is there any way that people can support the charity, Inspire You??

?JT: You can visit their website or visit our website (Youth Charity). We are accepting donations that will help make possible all of the good things that we hope to achieve in Africa. We are still raising funds for travel and to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. For me, it is not just about the kids, but nurturing the next generation. It is for them to create a legacy and believe in themselves. Once you have the core foundation of a strong belief, great things can happen and the sky’s the limit.?

Q: That is so true and would help open their eyes to what can be achieved through hard work and remaining true to their dream (which you are an excellent example of).?

Jordan, thank you so much. I have really enjoyed this conversation.??

JT: It has been amazing, Nicole. Thank you so much for having me. Hopefully next time I can hear a lot more about you as well.?