'I became bulletproof': How a change of approach led Alysha Newman to historic Olympic pole vault bronze

A month before winning an Olympic bronze medal in Paris last summer, Canadian pole vaulter Alysha Newman strained her deltoid, the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder. Then, the basement in her house flooded and she was sprayed by a skunk in her backyard trying to protect her dog.

Newman had only returned to competition about four weeks earlier following a 12-week absence after tearing four ligaments in her right ankle while cooling down after a training session hours before the start of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Scotland.

"I had a lot of moments where it could have redirected my focus [from the Olympics]," said Newman, who sought sports psychology and concentrated on how her mind connected to her body.

She worked closely with a doctor who trained the native of Delaware, Ont. (near London) to fend off negativity.

"It was like I had armour on and anything negative bounced off me," the 30-year-old said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview with Anastasia Bucsis of CBC Sports. "I became bulletproof."

WATCH | Alysha Newman joins CBC Sports to open up about Olympics, life lessons:

Newman changed her approach to "make the most of her opportunity" at a third Summer Games.

She placed 17th in her 2016 Olympic debut in Rio and exited the women's qualification round five years later in Tokyo after missing three attempts at 4.25 metres.

But Newman had a history of competing well in Paris. Her favourite colour growing up was purple and the track at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, was purple.

"I was grasping all the positive things and was able to shake any negativity," she recalled.

Historic Olympic bronze in Paris

Last Aug. 7, Newman won Canada's first-ever Olympic medal in women's pole vault, earning bronze with a jump of 4.85m. It was also the first Olympic medal by a Canadian in the sport since William Halpenny's bronze in the men's competition at the 1912 Stockholm Games.

"I walked in the stadium and it was like I was meant to be there," Newman told Bucsis, "and I left the stadium like I was meant to get that bronze.

"It was a 30-year goal … and I made it happen. I don't think I'm done."

Newman said she wasn't emotional in Paris after her medal performance. However, she's had more than her share of moments since, mostly while driving a car, when she'll catch one or two tears drop while listening to music or a podcast.

WATCH | Newman wins Olympic bronze in women's pole vault:

The bronze medal fulfilled her, the hardware for the hard work. She calls it her diploma. But Newman contends her mind got her to Paris and what she was most proud of while standing on the runway during competition.

"Inside, I felt pressure that I put on myself. I wasn't stressed because I felt happy, I felt positive and I wanted to, and I got to be at the Olympics," Newman said. "I think it's [about] the mindset, really."

The positivity and armour Newman built has also helped her away from competition when she faces occasional criticism for having an OnlyFans account, a subscription-based social media platform known for sexually explicit content.

Initially, it was supposed to be a 16-day venture, a behind-the-scenes look at being an Olympic athlete – showing the look of her room and what outfits the athletes wear – at the 2021 Games in Tokyo, where there were no fans in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I had 45,000 people sign up in 45 minutes and I think it was $29.99," she remembered. "It reassured me that people are interested in what Alysha Newman's doing."

'I have thick skin'

During a send-off to fans from Tokyo when Newman urged them to tune in to Paris 2024, some pleaded she continue full-time. So, these days, fans can see the athlete's workouts, she'll live stream practice and post photos, as Newman does to her Instagram account.

"They can see all this behind the scenes and I'm going to get paid for it. I have thick skin," she said. "I can wake up with the haters and people saying, 'Why is she on that?' The people that want to see it and be part of it can join. If you don't live a life full of curiosity, then you never really lived.

"I do want to do one more Olympics [in Los Angeles in 2028]. Maybe [OnlyFans] will only be for my Olympic career."

Before L.A., Newman is hoping to see another passion project come to fruition.

Bolton Pole Vault, near Newman's home in Caledon, Ont., is raising funds to build the Bolton High Performance Athletics Centre. Spearheaded by Newman and her longtime coaches, Doug Wood and Zeke Krykorka, it would be a hub for high performance and grassroots development in track and field.

"I want this to be an athletics centre [for] athletes [that] come home after [finishing] university, there's housing involved [and top] tier coaches that are paid full-time," said Newman, who is hopeful of a 2026 opening.

"I do believe the next generation of athletes are going to be the best we've seen, and I want to be behind that."