Sha’carri Richardson on Paris prep🥇

Rachel G Bowers Paste BN

Today marks six weeks until I fly out for the Paris Olympics, which officially begins with the Opening Ceremony on July 26. Am I freaking out about what to pack and all the prep work I have to knock out between now and then, you ask? No, no, it’s totally chill. [Insert This Is Fine meme here.]

But as I sift through my to-do lists, I think of the Olympians I spoke with this spring about how they prepare for the Games — and, yes, what they pack.

Sprinter Erriyon Knighton cannot leave home without his headphones. “One time I was going to the airport and I had like 40 minutes to check in, I’m like 15 minutes away from the airport, I turn all the way around to go get my headphones,” he told me recently. “Need those.”
Boxer Morelle McCane always keeps with her a photo of her little brother, who died suddenly after her first amateur fight in 2013. “I always gotta take him with me. Everything else, I’ll figure it out,” she said with a big laugh and smile.

But how do these athletes keep their minds and bodies sharp?

Star sprinter Sha’carri Richardson recently spoke with my colleague Lindsay Schnell about her mental preparation journey. “Just falling in love with the process, falling in love with myself and giving myself that love first … everything that I put myself into fills up that well,” she said. “So I’m excited, I’m eager, going into the rest of the season, growing, developing and just getting ready to make that USA team.”
Knighton’s pre-race routine consists of ignoring literally everyone. Like, he does not want to talk to anyone ahead of a race. “I gotta cook you,” he told me recently.
McCane had a funny and candid response when asked in the spring if she was preparing to face a specific opponent at the Olympics. “No,” she said in a half-scoff, half-laugh tone that dripped with self confidence. “Just line ‘em up and I’ll knock ‘em down.”
U.S. water polo goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson said her and her team’s mental toughness is rooted in how intense their physical training is. “Doing hard things, completely exhausting yourself, pushing yourself to the limit and then competing in water polo — one of the hardest sports — those are mental reps and training yourself to be composed,” she told me in the spring.

Now, it’s time for you, dear reader, to prep! How? Well, first, if you haven’t already filled out this reader survey for what you want to see in this newsletter, please do! I would love to hear from you. Second, mark down these U.S. Olympic trials on your schedule! All events will air on NBC and its suite of networks.

Questions? Story idea? Curious about something? Shoot me an email at rbowers@gannett.com or follow me on socials @rachelgbowers.

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