London, England – Back at the end of June, Jesse Williams was waiting and hoping, more nervous than he'd ever been.
The reigning world champion in men's high jump was in danger of not making the United States Olympic team as he battled four others for the three berths to London.
Williams was in something of a helpless position. He had struggled with a foot injury, wasn't jumping his best, and missed all three of his attempts to clear 7 feet, 7 inches, or 2.31 meters.
So did two of the other jumpers, but because they had fewer misses than he did over the course of the competition, they were guaranteed to finish ahead of Williams. He needed the other two to miss.
And as he watched Nick Ross and Ed Wright try to make the jump, Williams found himself hoping for them to fail.
"I hate wishing ill on anybody, and normally under any circumstance I would never do it," Williams said Monday during a press conference in London. "But at the trials, I was hoping the guy would miss. I'm not going to lie."
Both did, and Williams made the team. He actually finished fourth, but because Ross hadn't jumped the Olympic "A" standard this year, Williams got the final spot.
It wasn't the kind of performance Williams was hoping for, nor the kind of performance he's capable of. He has a personal best of 2.37 meters, won worlds with a jump of 2.35, and even cleared 2.33 to win a meet in Monaco about three weeks after the nail-biter in Eugene, Ore.
Williams' trials performance was also a lesson in how the mental and physical sides of athletics go hand-in-hand.
As Williams told it, he was "probably" ready to put the pressure of high jumping on his foot from a physical standpoint. His mind, on the other hand, was holding him back.
"It was a big problem for me, I think mentally more so than anything," Williams said. "When you're not able to mentally allow yourself to physically be 100 percent, then you're not going to jump anywhere close to your abilities."
Time off after trials allowed him to heal, and the performance in Monaco gave him a morale boost. Williams said he "did a few things wrong" there, but feels he has higher potential for London. The momentum is going in his favor. He's back on track.
"I'm strong mentally and physically, and ready to take this games on for sure," he said.
Williams, who finished out of the medals in Beijing four years ago, will go into the event thinking of himself as an underdog. One of his favorite movies is "Rocky IV," in which the titular hero manages to fell mighty Russian Ivan Drago.
The narrative isn't quite the same, of course. And while Russia has a few good high jumpers, there are no absolute favorites according to Williams.
Still, the California native said, "you can call me Mr. Balboa if you like."
It remains to be seen if Williams can come away with gold. But at least he's here in London. That, to him, was the right outcome.
"For me to be left at home, it wouldn't be good for the U.S. team because I have a really good shot at getting a medal," Williams said. "I'm not saying the other guy wouldn't, but I've done a lot, I have a lot more experience. It would have been kind of a shame."
The high jump competition starts on Sunday, and if gold is on the line, Williams said he may again wish for his competitors to fail. But with his body ready and mind all caught up, he may not be in that position again.
