Build your mind's citadel: how to become clutch under pressure

Successful people understand that pressure and stress are a part of life, so they try to manage it instead of trying to make it disappear. They also understand what stresses them out and how much they can take on. They create an environment that allows them to control the pressure instead of it controlling them, and they use competition and blood pressure as motivators.

I stayed focused on my own goals and managed the pressure that I put on myself. This allowed me to perform better under pressure.

I dealt with the pressure of the Olympics by preparing as much as possible beforehand, embracing pressure, and compartmentalizing my thoughts so that only what I could control was on my mind in the moment.

When I was competing, I spent a lot of time making sure that mentally, I was prepared and at my best to deal with the pressures of performance. I didn't assign specific times to it, but it was always extremely important to me as it impacts on performance.

Real confidence comes from knowing and believing that you have done everything you can to be prepared and ready to deliver a performance. It's important to separate hope and reality to make sure that you are confident in something that is realistic.

To prepare for a big race, I visualize running the race over and over again in my mind. This helps me to think through different potential scenarios that might arise and how I would react to them, so that when the actual race happens, I'm able to make the right decisions quickly and effectively.