The psychology of Olympic performance: training and triumphs

The Olympics in Paris are not only going well for Australia, but have also provided viewers at home with some dramatic and emotional moments.

Fourteen-year-old, Arisa Trew calmly flipped her skateboard into history as the country’s youngest ever gold medallist, while Saya Sakakibara’s powerful performance to take women’s BMX Gold, was followed by an emotional interview with the media.

Kirsten Peterson is a former Olympic psychologist who has worked with previous USA and Australian teams, who now works with corporate teams to manage high performance.

We find out about the psychology of Olympic performance amid gruelling training, strict mental discipline and victorious wins.

Image: Wikimedia: Sam – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Produced By: Martin Davies

Featured In Story: Kirsten Peterson – former Olympic Psychologist, and

First aired on The Wire, Thursday 8 August 2024