clydebrolin.com
  • Home
  • Books
    • In The Zone
    • Overdrive >
      • OverdriveF1.com
  • Reviews
  • Quotes
  • Blog
  • Contact

Snapshot of a sporting giant

12/5/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
On what would have been New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu's 42nd birthday, I wanted to share a quick snapshot of this much-missed sporting giant.

During the All Blacks rugby tour of Britain in 2002, Lomu was the only star name who came on the trip. And what pressure he was under. Not only was he already suffering with his kidney illness, coach John Mitchell said it was long overdue that he started to show some form.

Did Lomu let the heat get to him? Well, when New Zealand prepared for their test with England at Richmond rugby ground a few days before the game, it had been pre-publicised and the stands were packed with screaming schoolkids. After a full training session, the players were wheeled out for an autograph session. Lomu, being the undoubted star, was swamped.

I'd read that Lomu had always said he was happy to sign autographs, as he wanted to give something back for all he had, so I decided to follow him and just watch. Lomu stayed, and stayed, and stayed. He was out there for a full hour, in which time I estimate he must have signed his name close to a thousand times. All of it with a smile on his face.

An announcement came over the tannoy, saying the session was over, as the players had to move on. Most stars would take that as a gilt-edged chance to evacuate the scene. But not Lomu. He sped up. He kept signing, and signing, edging his way back towards the now pitch-dark players' tunnel. Even as the doors closed around him, the requests kept coming, and he did not let anyone down.

He appeared out of the other side of the clubhouse for the five-yard journey to the team bus, and there was another gauntlet of shirts, programmes and balls to run. All his team-mates were sitting waiting for him on the steadily overheating bus, but they must have been used to it. Lomu just kept at it. No wonder his arms were so bloody big.

Finally on the bus, he slumped down into his seat at the back, exhausted. But he kept waving until the bus was out of sight, and even managed to raise a smile when a couple of kids jumped up and smacked the window his head was leaning on - millimetres from his ear - as the bus finally made it onto the A316.

Now you may think this is par for the course. You're famous, deal with it. But I've watched a lot of big names sign autographs. If there's a small group, they normally get through them. But there comes a point where the number of people lining up, shoving photographs in your face becomes way too much. At that point it's normally a question of dealing with a handful of the nearest ones, then it's 'adios'.

At one point during the melee, I asked Lomu where his patience came from. He thought for a while, and replied, "Mum". It takes a big guy to give an answer like that in front of a crowd. But then Lomu was always one of the best examples world sport has of a superhuman - a giant in every sense.

In The Zone features insights on the All Blacks' dominance from Lomu's fellow legends Sean Fitzpatrick and Richie McCaw plus current head coach Steve Hansen.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Clyde Brolin spent over a decade working in F1 before moving on to the wider world of sport - all in a bid to discover the untapped power of the human mind.

    His first book Overdrive was shortlisted for Best New Writer at the 2011 British Sports Book Awards.

    In The Zone - featuring 100 interviews with the greats of world sport - is out now...

    Picture

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017

    Categories

    All
    Action Sports
    Adventure
    Air Racing
    Athletics
    Audiobook
    BASE Jumping
    Basketball
    BMX
    Business
    Charity
    Climbing
    Creativity
    Cricket
    Cycling
    Deals
    Dreams
    Endurance
    Football
    Formula 1
    Golf
    Hurling
    Indy 500
    Ironman
    Kitesurfing
    Land Speed Record
    Marathon
    Media
    Meditation
    Mental Strength
    Mindfulness
    Motocross
    Motorcycling
    Motor Sport
    Mountaineering
    Olympics
    Out Of Body Experience
    Out-of-Body Experience
    Paralympics
    Podcasts
    Politics
    Psychology
    Rally
    Religion
    Resilience
    Reviews
    Rowing
    Rugby Union
    Running
    Science
    Skiing
    Skydiving
    Spirituality
    Surfing
    Swimming
    Teamwork
    Technology
    Tennis
    Triathlon
    TV
    Visualisation
    Windsurfing
    Work Ethic
    World Cup

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
Site powered by Weebly. Managed by Easy Internet Solutions LTD
  • Home
  • Books
    • In The Zone
    • Overdrive >
      • OverdriveF1.com
  • Reviews
  • Quotes
  • Blog
  • Contact