Joomay Odjo is a Dutch athlete with a goal! Participating in the 2021 Olympic games in Tokyo. View his story below.
First Track and Field Experience
Joomay Odjo was born in Amsterdam on November 17, 1992, the son of a Surinamese mother and a Beninese father. He grew up with his parents and sister in the heart of the city of Amsterdam. When he first was exposed to the sport of track and field, Joomay was sold and wanted nothing else. He took his first steps on the track at the age of six at the AV’23 athletics club in Amsterdam. He trained on all events in track and field, but Joomay excelled in sprint events. In his first year, he won the club championships. In the years that followed, he continued winning. From long jump to shot put, he dominated at all the events at his club. To challenge himself to improve further, Joomay changed clubs and joined the sprint club Continental Sport in Amsterdam. For the first time, he came into contact with club mates who were faster and better than he was. This forced Joomay to work harder. Within eight months he became the Dutch champion at the age of thirteen, giving him a taste for more.
Development, Setback & Comeback
Being surrounded by other professional high school athletes made Joomay realize that he needed to be even more dedicated to his sport and sparked his desire to represent his country in the Olympics one day. After three solid years at Continental Sport, he changed clubs and started training with Phanos at the Amsterdam Olympic stadium. He became Dutch champion on the relay, won a national title with his club, and was one of the fastest juniors of the Netherlands. He also got selected for the Dutch 4 x 100m relay team to participate in the European Championship for Juniors, training at the national track and field training complex at Papendal. Just before the tournament, a stress fracture in his ankle prevented Joomay from competing. The injury sidelined him off and on and ultimately prevented him from a shot at the Rio Olympic games. Despite the disappointment and enduring a lengthy period of treatment, surgery and rehabilitation,, Joomay was ready to to work on his dream again.
To deal with this setback and to regain his focus and belief in himself, Joomay decided to go to Atlanta, Georgia (USA) to train with some of the best athletes and the best coaches and the best training facilities in town. While there, he received the confirmation he was looking for: There is potential and the dream is still alive!
With this newly gained experience and mindset, Joomay returned to Amsterdam to continue his training under one of the best Dutch coaches, Marita Swart-Zwol, who accompanied former top athlete Gregory Sedoc to the Olympic Games twice. Together, Coach Swart-Zwol and Joomay made a plan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To minimize future injuries and maximize performance, he also started working with top physiotherapist Herne van ‘t Hart, experienced Performance Coach Ralph van der Horst, and has also added a sports dietician, sports psychologist and sports masseur to his team. What used to be a dream is now becoming a reality. Nothing will stand in his way anymore. He is on the right path to reach the top!
- FULL NAME
- NATIONALITY
- PLACE OF BIRTH
- DATE OF BIRTH
- HEIGHT
- WEIGHT
- SPORT
- DISTANCES
- Joomay Odjo
- Dutch
- Amsterdam
- 17-11-1992
- 184 cm
- 86 kg
- Athletics
- 60m, 100m, 200m, 4x100m