Racing thoughts

World Cup champion and Olympic gold-medallist ski racer Marco Odermatt has found a winning formula. Here, the 26-year-old reveals how to train your mind for victory

I have the same routine before I start every race

“In Switzerland, when we learn to walk we learn to ski,” says Odermatt (pictured). “As a kid I dreamt of becoming a ski racer, but I was never good at the important races. At the point where you really have to perform, I couldn’t do it.

“Changing that was a process. I started early on with mental training and found for me it’s about the preparation: every training day or race is different, but I have the same routine for the 10 minutes before the start of every race.

“I start with the warm-up: we inspect the run, then I go through it in my head many times and really visualise the track. I usually get into my bubble – race mode – maybe three or four minutes before I start. Then it’s just pure

focus and good memories, good thoughts, which are important things to have in my mind.

“[The Beijing Olympics in 2022] was the most important race of my career to date. I’d had a really disappointing first week, and it all came down to my last chance in the giant slalom, where I was the favourite. I felt the pressure of not yet having a medal. It was meant to be cold and sunny, but we woke to bad weather –20 centimetres of fresh snow.

“After the first round, I was leading, which was good but also the most difficult [starting position] for the final runs. Then the fog came in and the race got delayed. I’d slept badly, so I took a nap between those two runs. I stayed in the restaurant, and the other athletes were telling me, ‘You have to go to the start!’ I said, ‘No. I’m taking it easy today.’

“I inspected the run as usual before the race. In the starting area, the weather was dark and ugly. Everybody was nervous. But I was super-calm somehow. I entered the start gate, my one goal to win this medal. I just knew I had to do everything the same as always. I thought good thoughts and got my mind ready.

“The race was very difficult – you couldn’t see the bumps. But I’m an athlete who goes all-in. I put my whole mind and my body into the race, and I found the flow, started taking risks. When I got to the finish and saw the number one, the relief and the emotions [were huge]. Every situation is different, but I found I can still perform. That gives me a lot of confidence today.”