According to Mitchell Watt the fact that he had to choose between rugby and the Olympics was actually not a difficult decision to make. The Australian decided to give up on rugby and not prepare this week for the rugby World Championships. Instead, if you see Watt, he is busy prepping for the long jump title. Giving up on the team sport of rugby was definitely something that he had no problem doing, especially to replace it with winning some glory for himself.
A few members of the Australian team even played some rugby with Watt over the years. A couple of those rugby players include Will Genia and even Quade Cooper. About three years ago though, Watt decided to give up rugby for good and get back into the long jump and the pit.
Since his rugby quitting time, Watt has actually had quite a career in the long jump category. He took home the bronze in Berlin at the 2009 Worlds. This year competed in Daegu and ended up with the four best jumps in all of the world. That is just where Watt is looking to be in fact.
He gave an interview just recently and talked about his decision to give up rugby altogether, and the Queenslander does not regret it. He claimed that he never really did feel comfortable playing the sport of rugby and that was the primary reason he quit playing. On top of the fact that he was uncomfortable, Watt stated too that with the way things are going, and along with the Olympics approaching, there are no regrets at all.
This past season has been a significant one for Watt, as he beat out the eleven year record of fellow Australian Jai Taurima in the long jump with 8.54 meters when in Stockholm at the end of July.
Watt is looking to get more than just honors and records on a domestic level though. He is looking to improve his records for the upcoming World Championships that are taking place starting August 27th through September 4th.
