Lewis Gordon Pugh Quotes

The only thing I want to think about the moments before a race is competing. I don't want the little things to distract me.

I was worrying about how Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson or Josh Hazlewood would get me out and how I would counter it, but in doing that forgot how I was going to score runs and put pressure on them, which is what I'm good at. I have to be more focussed on myself.

I cannot control what goes on in another lane and this is how I focus on the Games. There is no point in being nervous of other swimmers. It's just about focusing on yourself and what you need to do in order to perform at your best.

A lot of my intensity in wrestling was due to my mental preparation before the matches. I got myself into a different world.

When I'm starting a race, I just completely narrow down my vision and focus on what's directly ahead of me.

Sometimes I just get over-excited. I see the pitch and I think, 'I have to get this wicket.' When I am just looking to bowl, I am calm and composed, and most of the time I get it right. The ball lands where I want it to.

I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon as I see the targets, I tune them out.

Ninety percent of my game is mental. It's my concentration that has gotten me this far.

When the gun fires you must concentrate for every second on the way to that finish line. You should know exactly how long it will take you to and think about every step of the race you are about to run.

When I go out on the ice, I just think about my skating. I forget it is a competition.

When I am on court, I am so focused on what I am doing, that's all I think about - trying to win the next point.

Mentally, I have to get my body and mind in the right place before I start the routine, but once into the zone, it's like I turn on a switch. I envision myself doing the same thing for the Olympic Games.

When you line up on the track, you want to have done your homework, be aware of what they are capable of. You think about everything. It's like taking a journey, innit?

Just have to worry about making sure I'm playing my game and doing all that.

From the neck up is where you win or lose the battle. It's the art of war. You have to lock yourself in and strategise your mindset. That's why boxers go to training camps: to shut down the noise and really zone in.

Obviously, a lot of things play on your mind when you're batting. This might happen and this might not. The best thing you can do when you're batting is not to think too much, and wait for the next ball.

You rewind. You think of your preparation. You think of everything you did throughout the week, your life, the practices, the intensity. Everything flashes, and you come right back to that point. And it's like, game on.

I love to prepare if it's something that requires training. But I don't like to prepare the psychology too much.

You get to the plate and nothing is going through your mind. You see the ball, you see the seams.

You prepare yourself by concentrating on what you have to do out on the field.

So you have to be more mentally focused in baseball.

I like visualizing a lot, so the night before a competition and right before, I will visualize myself. I'll close my eyes, turn away from everybody, and just see myself doing exactly what I want to accomplish.

Before a race, I block out what's going on in the stadium. It's different for everyone. But for me, I've always been able to block it out. For a sprint race, it's important not to get distracted.

There's just something about that cold rush that I know I hate and a lot of other swimmers hate.

When there's an important tournament going on, I try and stay in a bubble. It's easy that way because then you don't have to worry about anything else.