AUSTRALIA’S NEXT BIG Olympic medal hope is about to go for history. Logan Martin established himself as one of the breakout stars of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during his sport’s Olympic debut, becoming the first – and at least until tonight, the only – men’s rider to win an Olympic gold medal in BMX freestyle. Now he has a shot at repeating in the same event at 10:45pm AEST tonight. But even the greatest athletes need to be in the right headspace to compete at their best.
Ask just about any athlete and they’ll tell you that mental health is as important as physical health in facilitating peak performance. That’s why the Paris 2024 Olympic Village will contain an Athlete 365 Mind Zone, a first-of-its-kind space designed to help athletes relax, recharge and mentally prepare for competitions. In this space, Olympians like Martin can talk with mental health professionals from the IOC Safe Sport team; jump in a ‘disconnection pod’ for a virtual reality mindfulness experience, or even practise gratitude writing to help focus on the positive influences in their life.
“While there’s always been a gym in the Olympic Village, for the first time we’re also going to have a Mentally Fit Zone next to it, which will focus on disconnection, decompression and mental wellness: placing mental health right alongside physical health,” explains Kirsty Burrows, the International Olympic Committee’s Head of Safe Sport Unit. “Alongside that, we’ve created special Welfare Officer accreditation for Games-time, so that in addition to the coaches, physios and so on that a delegation can bring, there’s also a space specifically reserved for a licensed and registered mental health professional and/or a safeguarding officer.”
There’s no doubt Martin’s mental health is being protected in Paris, but ultimately, support can only go so far. True grit must come from within. Here, Martin takes Men’s Health through how he locks in when the pressure is on.
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On the best advice he’s had about handling pressure:
“I don’t know if it’s advice that I’ve received or if it’s just something that I’ve learned over time, but just to focus on doing the best you can do on that day. Each day is different; you feel different, the nerves are always different. But it’s always just focusing in on knowing that you’ve done the job and doing the best that you can do.”
On what’s going through his mind when he’s competing:
“I think I mostly just try and breathe and stay relaxed, as relaxed as I can leading into my run. And then obviously when I’m about to drop in, or when I’m in the run, I’m very focused on what the next trick is, or what the next ramp is, and making sure I don’t lose my line and don’t forget which trick’s next. I think it’s always about staying in [and] being very present in that moment. In that 60 seconds you have to be very present or else you get lost.”
On how he keeps riding fun among the competitions:
“The good thing about this sport is it’s a fun sport anyway. You know, it’s quite thrilling. There’s always a fun aspect to it [even when] the pressure is high. And then away from competing, I personally just try and ride a few different skate parks and mix it up that way. Learning to adjust to different transitions, that keeps it fun for me.”
On the strategies he uses to face fear or stress:
“For stress I just always try and come back to breathing and to try and stay relaxed. I try not to tense up or be too worried about what an outcome could be. And then always just coming back to believing in the work that I’ve put in will pay off. I guess that’s how I sort of relieve the stress and anxiety of competing. Although it’s still there but [I] try and always come back to making sure that I know I’ve done the work and believing in the work that I’ve done will work out.”
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will screen live and free on the 9Network and 9Now.
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