“As I get into the blocks, I’m hyping myself up and thinking: ‘Let’s go, one shot, no second chances’. But once I’m on the line, it’s blank thoughts. I don’t want to hyper focus on anything. It’s just about reacting to the gun. The hay is in the barn. You’ve done all the training. It should be muscle memory at this point. Overthinking it will just tense your body up and slow you down.”
Gabby Thomas wants you to understand exactly how she feels seconds before an Olympic final. How adrenaline is flooding her body with the force of a burst dam, while her mind is trying to empty itself before the crack of the starter’s pistol. That internal conflict. Fight before flight.
