If you've watched Hamish Kerr in competiton, or even in training — you'll know he's his own hype man, and the ultimate showman.
If you ever wondered what's going through his head: "depends what time of the day it is — sometimes it's breakfast, dinner or, you know, snacks coming up throughout the day," joked Hamish.
"But mainly it's technical cues.. visualising what that might look like in mind, seeing how it feels and then trying to execute it."
Coach James Sandilands best describes Kerr as an "interesting character".
"He's dedicated, (most of the time) humble and, at the end of the day, we really do enjoy each other's company."
The duo, are long-time friends — which makes for an interesting athlete-coach dynamic.
"It does take a lot of compartmentalisation that's for sure.. we've got different communication methods like, if I'm sending him an Instagram or Snapchat, it's casual. But, if it's a Whatsapp or email, it's business," said Hamish.
"But at the same time being coached by one of my best mates is also a massive asset."
That "unspoken bond" has seen them already reach all new heights in 2024.
Kerr's World Championship winning jump of 2 metres 36, remains the the highest of any athlete this year.
"I wouldn't say he's surprised me this year, but he's certainly showed us what he's capable of," said Sandilands.
His coach of the belief there's "plenty more in the tank", as Kerr vies to become the first kiwi high jumper in history to medal at the Olympic's.
"I know I'm capable of winning a medal.. I know my heights I've executed this year already have shown I'm ready to compete with the big boys," said Kerr.
As Kerr now heads abroad for the final training block ahead of Olympics, the nerves are starting to set in.
"I think I've just got to keep it real... in the past I've let the occasion get the better of me and I think that in the past few World Champs I've been thinking about the outcome too much.
But over the next two months it's about enjoying every single day and loving the process we go through daily... it's going to be a special last run to the Olympics," he said.
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