 In an Olympic NBC Sports Report, Sandi Morris the wife of Bermuda Olympian Tyrone Smith spoke about the times they have had dealing with life and Sports.
Morris, is an Olympic Pole Vault Silver Medalist and American Indoor Record Holder, she was disappointed when the Olympics was postponed.
The Olympic postponement also impacted Morris’ husband. Tyrone Smith, 36, a three-time Olympic Long Jumper for Bermuda and an MBA student at the University of Texas. Smith planned to end his Olympic career in Tokyo this summer.
When the Olympic postponement was announced, Smith took a week or two to weigh whether to tack on another year.
“Ultimately, the decision was that I was always going to try to make it,” said Smith, who wed Morris last October. “It was just figuring out logistically how I was going to make that happen.
“I had motivation from being with Sandi and having the chance to do something special together. We didn’t really get to experience it [the Games] together as a couple. Having the opportunity to have those moments together, that we can share with our family, and if we have kids one day, to share those with our kids. It’s incredibly rare to do that.”
Smith recently began an internship as a brand marketer with Sony PlayStation to launch the PS5. He had a teaching position lined up, too. But after hearing about the postponed Olympics, he adapted.
Like his wife, Smith had to build his own training setup.
He bought a shovel and garden rake from Home Depot. Over a few weekends, for about three hours at a time, he excavated an entire sandpit in Austin.
It wasn’t the first time Smith felt the need to show what he could do.
“I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder trying to prove to myself that I belong at this level,” he said.
Two decades ago, Smith walked through the gym of North Chicago Community High School while coach Trent Robinson taught girls how to triple jump.
“Can I learn?” Smith asked.
Robinson obliged. No one on the boys’ team knew how to triple jump, or was particularly eager to learn. Smith made all-county and all-conference after training for two months.
He walked on at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR), now the Missouri University of Science and Technology, a Division II Track Team, as a triple jumper.
It wasn’t until Smith’s sophomore year that he found a coach, Bryan Schiding, who encouraged him to consistently long jump. Years later, Schiding stood as a groomsman in Smith and Morris’ wedding.
Smith and Morris have yet to live in the same city in their four-year relationship.
“We’ve been scheming, and planning,” Morris said. “It hasn’t quite lined up yet.”
Whether Smith is pursuing an MBA or pushing his limits to qualify for a postponed Olympic Games, one thing is certain.
“I will stand by whatever he decides to do,” she said.
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