Paris 2024 awaits

Meet Yona Knight-Wisdom 

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Yona Knight-Wisdom became the first male Jamaican diver to compete at an Olympic Games. Alongside being an athlete mentor for Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, Yona has secured his place at Paris this Summer. As he makes his final preparations, we spoke to Yona about his Olympic journey.

How did it feel to be the first diver to represent your country at the Olympics in Rio for 44 years?  

Knowing I was making history for Jamaica was a very proud moment. It was made extra special because I was able to meet with the last Jamaican diver before me, Betsy Sharp (Sullivan) who competed at the Munich 1972 Olympics at the age of 16. I met her when I went to Florida for my pre-camp, and she brought a photo book with memories from those Games, as well as her Opening Ceremony uniform which was still in pristine condition. I also felt a responsibility to ensure that I represented Jamaica to the best of my ability so that I could inspire the next diver to represent the country, and hopefully it wouldn’t be another 44 year wait. The team recently doubled as a Canadian with Jamaican heritage joined me to compete at a number of events over the last couple of years, and we were able to dive in synchro events for the first time in Jamaican history. Now, the next step is to work on developing a local programme and find some home-grown talent on the island. 

What is your career highlight? 

I struggle to decide on my one career highlight as it is a very close call between two consecutive days in February 2016. On one day I officially qualified for my first Olympic Games by reaching the semi-final of the Diving World Cup in Rio. That had been my childhood dream since watching the Athens 2004 Olympics at the age of 9, just after I had started my own diving career. As you can imagine it was a very proud and emotional moment for me, and one that I was able to share with some of my best friends in diving. Then, on the very next day I progressed through to the final, which was another huge achievement in itself. In the final I did 6 of the best dives I had ever done in competition, even to this day, and ended up winning my first international medal and possibly one of the most unexpected medals in the history of diving, finishing second behind a Mexican diver who I used to idolise. So yeah…how do you pick between those moments? 

Do you have any superstitions or routines you go through prior to an event? 

Surprisingly, I don’t have any specific pre competition routines, especially since I’m a person who very much enjoys routine. The way I see it is every situation is different, every location is different, every competition is different, so I never wanted to rely on having to go through the same routine to feel good in different circumstances. I’ve always wanted to be adaptable around competition so that I don’t feel restricted by routine or thrown off if I can’t do an element of it. 

What are your feelings towards the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games? 

I’m super excited for the Opening Ceremony in Paris. Firstly, the ceremonies in Rio and Tokyo were really meaningful to me, with the lighting of the Olympic Flame actually being quite emotional each time. It’s an amazing moment of reflection and pride in knowing that I’ve achieved my lifetime goal, and I’m sure this will be the same. Secondly, the announcement that the ceremony would be held on the River Seine with athletes on boats was a huge source of motivation for me to make it to these Games, simply because it’ll be so cool to know that I was part of such a unique and historic ceremony. Also, just being free to roam Paris and go to other stadiums and arenas to watch different sports is really exciting, after experiencing the restrictions of Tokyo 2020. 

What does being an Athlete Mentor for Dame Kelly Holmes Trust mean to you? 

Joining Dame Kelly Holmes Trust has really helped me to be less fearful about what my life after diving will look like. I think it has helped to make me a better person, by being more aware of others, being able to consider their circumstances and situation, and support them effectively in a positive manner, rather than just being too caught up with my own life and experiences. I’m able to see things from various perspectives which allows me to empathise with others. The Trust also enrolled me in an Institute of Leadership and Management qualification which has shown me enjoyment for coaching/mentoring and helped me become more settled on what I want do to after I eventually retire from diving. 

What have been your highlights while working at the Trust? 

I haven’t been able to work on many of the programmes yet due to my training and travelling, but what I have done so far has been really enjoyable. My highlight is from an On Track To Achieve programme that I worked on. The group went from standing literally 2m apart from each other in the first session, super shy and unwilling to engage, to working and planning their project in collaboration without my input only 8 weeks later. It was really cool to know that I had an impact in creating a positive experience for them and helping them to ultimately be successful raising money for charity as a group.