Emile Zatopek

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Z%C3%A1topek


. . . . Great athletes will actually visualize their success even before they compete, and psyche themselves up by convincing themselves of their own invincibility and greatness. Such athletes are denying the reality of the competition they actually face while also invoking a self-fulfilling prophecy. A classic example of combining all these approaches is that of Emile Zatopek, a famous long-distance runner who won three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Zatopek first won gold in the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter runs, the races he had actually trained for. But then he decided at the eleventh hour to compete in the marathon for the very first time in his life. His strategy was to run right alongside the British world record holder, Jim Peters, and to set a blistering pace more appropriate for the shorter races he normally ran. Once he knew that he had overtaxed Peters, Zatopek pointed out to the Englishman that he had never run this race before and casually asked whether they were running fast enough. Shortly thereafter Peters dropped out -- and all other runners behind him were psyched out as well, so Zatopek went on to win in an Olympic record time. ~ Page 252