Commonwealth Games: Willis content with his peace of history

Nick Willis is at peace. Photo / Greg Bowker

Nick Willis cuts a relaxed figure as he prepares for a bid to collect a third Commonwealth Games medal this week.

He talked yesterday in a holistic way about sport and life. Right now life is good, with 1-year-old son Lachlan and wife Sierra occupying plenty of his thinking. But he reckons the balance is right and his young family helps him put all things in perspective.

"I'm not necessarily confident from a sporting perspective but I'm at peace," the Olympic 1500m silver medallist from Beijing said of his prospects next week. "I train when [Lachlan] has his naps. We put our family as our focus and running as a break from having to change nappies, that sort of stuff.

"If I get fourth, but run the race of my life, it's not going to bother me not getting on the podium. I'd love to do it for New Zealand but, from a personal standpoint, there's not a I-have-to-do-it sort of thing.

"Maybe that's not the killer instinct people want to hear but I'm just enjoying what I'm doing."

It's worth remembering the 31-year-old, who won gold and bronze at the last two Games, is in some of the sharpest form of his career as he prepares for the 5000m-1500m double at Hampden Park.

In May he set a personal best time for the 5000m. Then he became the second New Zealander after the great John Walker to break 3min 50s for the mile.

A week later, he shaved 0.58s off Walker's 31-year-old 3000m record, with a 7:36.91. And several days ago he set a New Zealand record 3:29.91 over 1500m, 0.44s better than the previous record, at the Monaco Diamond League meet.

Has he surprised himself?

"Yes and no. Over the last four years there have been hints of this happening. I just haven't been able to sustain it. It's just about getting the timing right."

He's been working on endurance and not worrying about straight speed, and reckons it's working.

The Monaco time, in a race in which he finished seventh, was immensely encouraging. He was "probably the happiest seventh placegetter in the history of our sport".

After the London Olympics, Willis started a masters in marketing and fancied following a move into the corporate world.

"Then I had the birth of my son and I thought, 'this is a fantastic job', to be able to spend as much time with my family and make a living out of it.

"So I want to hang onto this as much as I can. I'm working only a couple of hours a day but I'm able to support my family. I'm going to try to do this as long as I can."

That means not only Rio in 2016 but also the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

His old mates from Lower Hutt have been badgering. They want to see him there, even if he's running the marathon by then, he quipped.

For now, there's the 5000m tomorrow morning (NZT), a field trimmed by the high-profile withdrawal of double Olympic champion Mo Farah, and the 1500m final next Sunday morning (NZT). And then it's back to changing nappies.