Dr Grace Tidmarsh, Dr Mary Quinton and Prof Jennifer Cumming recently wrote an article highlighting the world-class athletes who are redefining what we mean by sporting ‘success’ by embracing and leading with their values and goals. Entitled ‘Redefining Olympic Success: Adam Peaty “in my heart, I’ve already won”’, they share how this shift is twinned with positive changes in culture and practice that are emerging in sport. In the SPRINT Project we believe that these individual and system-wide displays of perspective change will enable more and more athletes to flourish and experience success.
As the Olympics draws to a close, we are reflecting further on the experiences and successes of athletes who have competed in the second week of the Games.
Image description: An image showing Simone Biles holding a gold medal, to the left of her name written in capitals and the flag of the USA.
The world-wide Olympic audience watched in awe as Simone Biles made her successful return to the Olympic stage. Observing her prior to her performance in the recent gymnastics floor routine, we were able to witness the meditative-based mental strategies that Biles uses to prepare mentally for world-class competition. By choosing to share these experiences with her millions of followers, Biles is driving a positive culture shift in sport and also breaking down barriers in the wider public discourse surrounding mental health and wellbeing.
Through her platform, Biles is able to define her strong identity—one that encapsulates her athleticism and individuality, as well as her other important experiences and successes.
“I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles.” Simone Biles.
Another fantastic changemaker and advocate for authenticity and mental health in sport is Noah Lyles. Lyles came from last place to win the gold medal in the men’s 100m final by 0.005 seconds. With such small margins between the world’s best male sprinters, we examine what enabled Lyles to win, beyond physical capability.
Dedicated practice and preparation of mental skills and strategies with trusted support staff enables athletes to defeat setbacks and be ready for intense pressure. Specifically, visualisation—the art of imagining and repeatedly practicing a scenario by integrating all 5 senses—combined with curiosity and perseverance, likely played a key role in Lyle’s success.
"A lot of my races are pre-visualised down to a tee, so I can break down my whole race by every step, and if I learn something new in practice I'll add it to my visualisation and then my sports therapist will go over it when we're getting ready for the race. So when we're in the race it's second nature." Noah Lyles.
Andy Murray, one of the all-time tennis greats, completed his final tournament at the Paris Olympic Games before retiring from the sport. As well as being world number one in the era of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, Murray has previously won two Olympic golds in tennis singles and three Grand Slam titles, amongst many other titles. Most recently, he has demonstrated success through his perseverance and dedication in returning to world class competition following major hip resurfacing surgery. Even at the end of his professional tennis career, it has been inspiring to watch Murray show his signature passion and resolve whilst coming back from almost certain defeat within the Olympic men’s doubles competition.
His impact and success also extends beyond the realms of elite professional tennis. Murray has previously raised huge amounts of money for charity, including UNICEF and local Scottish organisations. In addition, Tennis Scotland Chief Executive Blane Dodds has attributed record high tennis club membership numbers to Murray’s admirable talent and character. Read the full tribute from Blane Dodds in this LTA Tennis Foundation article here.
You can also watch the first interview that Andy Murray completed following his retirement from tennis here.
Want to let us know your thoughts on how the amazing athletes are achieving success at the Paris Olympics? Get in touch by filling out the contact us form below!
Following the conclusion of the Olympic Games, we are looking forward to the start of the Paralympic Games, which are due to start on the 28th of August. Watch this space for more displays of wide-ranging success!
Image and quote credit: Official Paris Olympics website.
Written by Dr Sally Reynard, Post Doctoral Researcher in the SPRINT Project.
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