High jumper explains how important domestic competitions like this month’s Manchester Invitational are as she prepares for the Tokyo Olympics

When you hear Morgan Lake talk about what inspires young athletes, it’s easy to forget she only has to rely on personal experience.

The high jumper has been winning national titles for 12 years and has competed at 17 championships at global or European level – but she is still just 23.

The Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow athlete is among the line-up for the new Manchester Invitational on May 27. The meeting, which has also attracted the likes of Marc Scott, Sophie McKinna and Cameron Chalmers, is a pilot for what it is hoped could soon become part of the World Athletics Continental Tour.

Like many athletes of her standard, Lake is used to having to travel the world to find adequate competition, but she feels competing domestically will be a boon not just to her progress this year but also to those who are just starting out in the sport.

Thinking back not too long ago, she says: “I remember going to Crystal Palace and watching athletes compete when I was younger and I think it becomes more accessible for young athletes when they see competitions in their home country and can see that there is a pathway in the sport.”

Although Britain has traditionally – as will be the case this year – staged two Diamond League meetings, notably none of the 85 Continental Tour meetings that are the next tier down are on these shores. British athletes have been noted to sparingly compete at home, but the Manchester event could be one meeting which changes that.

From the athletes’ own perspective, a domestic competition is particularly useful this year, given the remaining uncertainties caused by international travel due to the pandemic.

Lake says: “With everything around the travel and quarantine, for me it was really important to be able to try and get some domestic competitions in this season. Indoors it was amazing to have a couple of comps in Loughborough to avoid that quarantine period.

“Being able to have a high-level competition in Manchester at home is a great opportunity. I just love being able to compete in the UK – obviously you don’t really get that many opportunities, usually just travelling around the world doing all these different comps.”

The former world junior high jump and heptathlon champion is starting her outdoor season later than usual. She has been making some technical tweaks, having already bagged the Olympic qualification mark of 1.96m during the indoor season.

As she works towards Tokyo, she is hoping to see that work pay off. “These early competitions I’m going to keep working on some technical elements and hopefully that will produce some big heights,” she says.

Looking towards the Games themselves, she adds: “I just want to build on what I did in Rio where I made the final and came 10th.”

The mathematically significant ‘barrier’ of 2.00m is just 3cm above her PB and could well be enough to earn a medal in Tokyo. She thinks that height is within her grasp.

Lake, who is coached by Fuzz Caan at Loughborough, says: “I think this season it’s probably feeling the most possible it (2m) has. Seeing other athletes jump 2m, you kind of look to them and see what training they’re doing and see their progression. It’s nice to see other athletes achieve and it motivates you even more.

“It’s feeling more and more possible, but I’m not going to chase it, I’m not going to see it as a barrier. If I can get three centimetres more improvement, I’ll be there. Hopefully it will be soon.”

That aforementioned experience despite her young years will serve her well when it comes to Tokyo. With one Olympic final and five world indoor or outdoor appearances under her belt already, she says: “I’ve been to a few championships and some have gone better than others.

“I think it’s looking back at my past experiences and working out why things went well and why things might not have gone my way and just trying to take all the positives from the ones that went well and trying to emulate that.

“I think that’s what I’m taking into Tokyo, it’s just looking back on what went well and trying to improve on that.”