The 21-year-old with model looks has 620,000 followers on TikTok but is aiming to change perceptions by making the team for Paris
Tayleb Willis is famous, but for the wrong thing. “People on the street, when they come up to me, they say, ‘Oh, my God, you’re the TikToker’, not ‘you’re the athlete’,” he says.
He’s getting there. The Melbourne resident has cracked the top 40 in the world rankings for 110m hurdles this year, and is in line to be selected in Australia’s Olympic team for Paris when athletes are named on 8 July. While Willis was a consistent winner in juniors, he admits he found the increase in hurdle height from 99cm to 106cm at senior level challenging. His frustration culminated in a disappointing performance at last year’s nationals. “I went out there, gave it my all, finished fourth, and I was not happy one bit,” he says. “I went into the toilet, cried, and said to myself: this is never happening again.
Leslie says Willis – who ran another PB at the meet – didn’t let it get to him. “There’s something very deep about his drive, which I think has a lot to do with his upbringing,” the respected coach says.
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