How Reading Old Journal Entries Helps Team USA’s Anna Hall Get In The Right Headspace
On June 26, 2021, heptathlete Anna Hall suffered a devastating injury that would change her life forever. Sprinting the 100-meter hurdles, the Olympic hopeful clipped her left foot on the barrier, breaking a navicular bone in her foot, requiring surgery, and slashing her dream to make it to the 2020 Games (which ultimately happened in the summer of 2021).
“After that, I really was doubting if I was meant to do this,” the Adidas athlete told Women’s Health recently in Paris. “I was like, maybe I'm just one of those athletes that it never works out for.”
Fast forward three years, overcoming another serious injury to her knee that would require surgery, the 23-year-old is on the ground at the Paris Olympics ready to make her lifelong dream come true. Taking Gold in the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, Hall attributes her success to one main thing: Finding the fun.
“You don’t get to this level unless you have your own edge,” says the Colorado native. “Mine is that I'm able to have fun throughout the competition.”
Hall says that her ability to focus on joy really stems from two things: First, realizing what a gift it is to do what she loves regularly.
“At the end of the day, I do this because I love it. I’m chasing my dreams. I've been forced to learn a very important lesson: The trajectory won’t always be a straight line. There's gonna be plateaus and dips. It’s up to me to enjoy it regardless.”
The other thing that helps her keep her head on straight? Her journal.
“Any time I’m not having fun or getting too nervous before competition, I open it up,” she says. “I read along, and it centers me, and reminds me of who I am, what I’m there to do that day, and where my head space is supposed to be.”
my meet day journal ⬇️ for those curious 😂 https://t.co/tIryxHUQtx
— Anna Hall (@annaahalll) February 17, 2023
Hall’s often seen bouncing and dancing around before and after each event. By enjoying herself, she feels more capable of finding calm in moments of pressure and actually enjoying the pressure. “It’s what allows me to compete honestly at my highest level when it matters most.”
The Olympic heptathlon, which takes place between August 8 and 9, includes eight different events. And although Anna’s favorite one is the high jump (“when things are going well,” she adds), one thing’s for certain: She’ll be having a blast doing each and every one.
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