Video captured by D’Artagnan Dias
Video produced by Coleman Hodges
As we see the American athletes in press conferences, a majority of them look different. They have a calm about them, they don’t look to worried about what’s to come, or how external pressures are affecting their preparation. As with Missy, I think Katie Ledecky has grown up a lot since 2012. She’s a hyper confident swimming machine, who doesn’t focus on results so much as execution of her perfect race.
We hear this confidence and focus come through in the above clip, in which Ledecky describes her visualization practices leading up to Rio, and how she has mentally prepared for what she wants to accomplish. She says that if she feels how she wants to in the races and takes the events one at a time, the week will go smoothly. No promises of gold medals or world records, not even talk of best times. Just a quiet assurance that she can get done what she needs to do.