Eileen Guthe most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history, said she switches into “competition mode” when she competes.
Speaking to Jay Shetty on Monday’s episode of the ‘On Purpose’ podcast, Gu said she has a mantra that helps her continue to perform at the highest level.
“I train like I’ve never won, and I compete like I’ve never lost,” said the 22-year-old Gu. “That’s important because A. I find it hard to win, but it’s much harder to stay there.”
Gu made her Olympic debut at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing and recently competed in the Milano Cortina Winter Games. In total, she has won three gold and three silver Olympic medals.
She said her mantra also helps her maintain her drive.
“The second thing is that it keeps you hungry, and that’s what allows you to perform over time,” Gu said.
‘The third is fine be a winnerYou have to have an insatiable, almost obsessive, religious, all-in mentality when you compete,” Gu continued. “But because it’s so intense, you can’t keep it up forever because that creates really dangerous egos.”
Being overconfident or complacent can also get in the way of the self-criticism needed to train well.
“For me, I only see my mistakes when I’m training. I can never do anything right,” Gu said, adding that she picks apart even the smallest mistakes she makes, whether they’re off by a few degrees or a movement starts a second too early.
But the competition demands the opposite mentality, and she must make the switch, she said.
“And I’m like, ‘I’m the best person to ever step foot here. No one’s going to even touch me. Everyone’s competing for second place,'” Gu said, referring to the self-talk she employs when competing.
Drawing a clear line between her training and competition mentality “is what protects me from going absolutely insane,” Gu said.
She added that she only has “a normal amount of competitive behavior” in her daily life.
“It’s only when I’m competing. I’m like, OK, alter ego. Go time,” she said.
Gu has previously spoken about how she prepares for high-pressure moments on the slopes.
In a February interview with Red BullGu said her high school cross country coach told her about a psychological theory that suggests nervousness and excitement can trigger the same response in the body — an idea that has helped her deal with her competitive jitters.
“Whenever I felt really nervous, she would say, ‘You’re not nervous, you’re just excited.’ That really translates to every high-pressure situation I’ve ever been in since,” Gu said.
Other athletes have also spoken about the strategies they use to deal with competitive pressure.
In February, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she has been working with a psychologist to “desensitize” herself to the Olympics so she can better manage the Games’ stakes.
In August, Naomi told Osaka Australian tennis magazine that she takes on a different character when she participates. “I almost feel like I’m a Barbie who gets dressed up and goes on the field and does something. When I come back to the locker room, I’m my real silent Naomi,” Osaka said.
