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Quotes & Motivational Quotes
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Swimming quotes and non-swimming inspirational quotes
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Non-swimming quotes
"In
training everyone focuses on 90% physical and 10% mental, but in the races its
90% mental because there's very little that separates us physically at the elite
level".
Elka
Graham "People
ask me 'what was going through your mind in the race?' and I don't know. I try
and ...let my body do what it knows".
Ian
Thorpe "I
wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long
as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it".
Michael
Phelps
"Being your best
is not so much about overcoming the barriers other people place in front
of you as it is about overcoming the barriers we place in front of ourselves.
It has nothing to do with how many times you win or lose. It has no relation
to where you finish in a race or whether you break world records. But
it does have everything to do with having the vision to dream, the courage
to recover from adversity and the determination never to be shifted from
your goals."
Kieren Perkins
"When
I go out and race, I'm not trying to beat opponents, I'm trying to beat what I
have done ... to beat myself, basically. People find that hard to believe because
we've had such a bias to always strive to win things. If you win something and
you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at
all. When you've had to work hard for something and you've got the best you can
out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from."
Ian Thorpe
"I
have been visualizing myself every night for the past four years standing on the
podium having the gold placed around my neck."
Megan Quann
"I
concentrate on preparing to swim my race and let the other swimmers think
about me, not me about them."
Amanda Beard
"Before
the (Olympic) trials I was doing a lot of relaxing exercises and visualization.
And I think that that helped me to get a feel of what it was gonna be like when
I got there. I knew that I had done everything that I could to get ready for that
meet, both physically and mentally".
Michael Phelps
"The water is
your friend.....you don't have to fight with water, just share the same
spirit as the water, and it will help you move".
Alexandr Popov
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"In most sports they have
a physical effect on your performance, in swimming only psychological. If you
worry about what your rival is doing, you take your mind off what you are doing
and so fail to concentrate on your performance."
Bachrach, great Chicago
coach of the 20's
"I can't control what everyone else swims but if all goes well I know there
are no limits."
Leisl
Jones
"I
am not going to allow myself not to perform well just because I don't
feel well. I am bulletproof to the extent that a lot of things can be
thrown at me, but it's about how much I am prepared to let them affect
me".
Ian
Thorpe
"I
can definitely take more off my world record - a lot more. I have no doubt
about that. I'm by no means putting pressure on myself, it's just the
belief I have in myself......I'm not going to limit myself by nominating
times or anything like that. I never thought I'd do 14:34 and I did. I
thought I'd maybe do 14:38 or 14:39 that day, and I went nearly five seconds
quicker so I don't want to limit the possibilities".
Grant Hackett
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"Body
does what mind prefers."
Lenny Krayzelburg
"Mainly,
I like to have fun. Swimming is all about having fun, and I am firm believer that
you should keep swimming as long as you are having fun, but I can say that it
becomes much more fun as you get older and learn more about the sport, life, and
especially more about yourself".
Scott
Goldblatt "I
was so surprised. Then again, I was so relaxed in the water, it felt amazing".
Pieter van den Hoogenband after 2000 Olympic gold medal swim "For
myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you
could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in".
Ian Thorpe "While
I'm swimming, I sing songs in my mind."
Alexandr Popov
"I enjoyed every bit of my swimming career. I think that's the most important
advice — to enjoy what you do".
Summer Sanders 1992 double gold
medallist
"Any time you can get up there and scare a few people, throw up some
decent times, it builds up your confidence and also sends a message to
other people."
Olympic silver medallist Marianne Limpert
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"I just refused to give up, to give up the dream. I was in excruciating
pain, my arm was numb and they said it would be six months, if ever, for
me to be back in the water. I thought my career was over, I was shattered
but I never lost hope. I've always believed if you want to do something
badly enough you will do it. Some told me that if you visualized healing
an injury it would heal faster and that's what I did"
2004 Australian Olympic diving team qualifier Lynda Dackiw,
4 months before the Athens Olympics
"There is water in every lane, so it is OK."
Ian Thorpe (on being in Lane 5 for a final).
"I
always have on my headphones to block out all of the other distractions
and I'm just focused on doing the best that I can.... There a few of them
… DMX Party Up ... Mack 10 BC and Ice Cube Connected for Life. I
also listen to the Eminem CD …whichever song really gets me going
that night".
Michael
Phelps
"Susie
had no talent whatsoever. She's a little person who couldn't even make
a final at a state meet - coming and showing the world that on sheer guts
and determination you can do anything you want!"
Susie Maroney's coach Dick Caine after her 200 kilometre marathon swim
from Mexico to Cuba
"You can't put
a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get".
Michael Phelps
"I swam the race like I trained to swim it. It is not mathematical.
I just let my body do it. It is a lot easier if you let your body do what
it is trained for."
Ian Thorpe
"Most of the
preparedness happens during training every single day, so it's all about
getting to a meet and being as relaxed as possible. Personally, I just
try to stay in the crowd of people, just talking so my mind doesn't think
only about swimming. That helps me to relax. And at this level, we all
know what needs to be done once we jump in the pool".
Lenny Krayzelburg
(Preparing for a race)
"I
try and just relax and reflect on all the work I've done in the past season.
That's one of the most important things, remembering your goals and how
to swim your races. It's also important to get your mind off racing before
you race sometimes".
Ian Crocker
"I like to get in my own world. When I'm getting ready for a meet,
I always have headphones on, listening to rap music to get myself fired
up".
Michael Phelps
"Enjoy swimming
for swimmings sake. We have to spend far too much time in the water to
not enjoy the process challenging yourself of moving through the water".
Jeff Rouse - Multiple Olympic Gold Medalist and swimming World
Record setter
"I saw my name: THOMAS, Petria. Saw my time, 57.72. Saw the number
one next to them. I'd done it. Me! Petria Thomas, Olympic champion. The
feeling inside was one of pure, utter joy. Excitement, disbelief, relief,
hapiness, amazement, the whole works. Id worked so hard. I'd gone through
so much, privately, publicly. I'd lost faith in myself and found it again.
I'd sometimes stopped believing that I could do it and that I had a purpose
in life. I'd come through the darkness, and this, this moment, was the
sweetest, most amazing light there could possibly be. I was alive and
loving it!"
Petria
Thomas, Athens Gold Medallist
"I told myself there was no way I was going to let this training
go to waste. It was my time, and I was ready to go."
Katie Hoff
"Everyone who
has been to an Olympics says expect the unexpected. That kind of psychology
games does go on, so I'm kind of expecting things to happen but I don't
know who from. I think it's kind of silly but I'm prepared for it. I'd
probably just laugh it off because it means that they are afraid of racing
me, so it's like a huge compliment".
Libby Lenton, world record breaker
"It's easy to
forget when you're an elite athlete that everyone else gets nervous as
well. Even the best people in the world, at whatever they do, they're
still nervous".
Leisl Jones - world record breaker at the 2005 World Championships
"I always assume
that whenever I race against Michael it's going to take something amazing
like a world record to win. It's definitely faster than I thought I could
go but you can't put limits on yourself."
Ian Crocker after a world record at the World Championships
"I won't predict anything historic. But nothing is impossible".
Michael Phelps
"I've always been fortunate in that I've been able to put myself
in my own zone and relax. It comes naturally. I'm lucky to be that way".
Michael Phelps
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