What’s a triple jumper to do when they qualify for the Olympic Games in the long jump?

That’s the lucky dilemma that Henry Frayne has to face after leaping to fifth on the Australian all-time list in the long jump with a 8.27m (+1.4) at the Sydney Track Classic.

Without his preferred triple jump on the program, Frayne was looking to improve his personal best of 7.99m by at least a centimetre, but was overwhelmed with the quality of his winning leap.

“It’s four days from three years since I did my 7.99m in Canberra, something that I was made aware of by one of my good mates, Ollie Wurm.

“I was really just pushing for that extra centimetre to jump 8 metres and join that elusive club. To jump 8.27 or even 8.06 on the first attempt was a bit overwhelming.

“Gary and I have been focusing on the triple jump all along; I’ve always said that is my main focus.

“Triple jump is a lot more technical and lot harder on the body and takes a bit longer to come together. Hopefully in Melbourne, and if not, at world indoors, I hope that it will convert to a longer triple jump.”

Frayne currently only holds B-qualifiers in the triple jump, but with performances that if produced at the Olympics would see a finals berth. With his focus being the triple jump, and with the toil it places on the body, Frayne’s initial thoughts was that it would be too physically taxing to compete in both events at the selection trials in Melbourne in a fortnight’s time, although he wouldn’t rule out contesting both in London.

“I’ll have to discuss that with [coach] Gary [Bourne]. There’s not many people who do it and to not affect both of them you need to be at a pretty high level, and I’m not quite sure if I’m there yet.

“The plan in Melbourne was always to do the triple jump because I thought I’d be closer to the qualifying in it, but tonight will obviously weigh into the equation when we look at things.

“I’ve entered for both. I’m definitely going to do triple, it will just be a very small chance that I will double. I’ll just look at what other options that there are in terms of exemptions and that sort of thing.”