Rio 2016 Olympics: A Coach's Point Of View...

This message is especially dedicated to the great Olympian, and National Record Holder, Yvonne Trevino, long jumper of Mexico.

For the past two weeks, the whole world was watching the greatest athletes in the world compete at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

11,303 athletes from 28 sports and 207 National Olympic Committees took part in the biggest sporting event on the planet which takes place every four years.

Most people watched the Games on television. 

Some were fortunate enough to attend the Games as spectators.

I was fortunate to be among the very few coaches at Rio 2016.

Yes, I was in Olympic Village.  

Yes, I ate in the Olympic dining hall (more like dining stadium).

Yes, I rode the athlete bus to venues.

And yes, I hung out and took selfies with athletes and coaches from all over the world.

My idea for this article is to give you a behind the scenes look at the life (and mindset) of an Olympic coach and athlete. Enjoy!

Way back in May, I received an email from a young man named Alejandro who introduced himself and said that his wife read my book and loved it. She was a long jumper from Mexico and was looking to qualify for the upcoming Rio Olympics. He said she was working hard with Carl Lewis, Drew Tucci, and Kyle Tellez, and was as physically strong as anyone. So he asked if I would work with her on the missing link: the mental game. 

I said yes.

Apparently, (I found out in Rio) that the day after our first Skype session, Yvonne Trevino, a cousin of Salma Hayek, set a Mexican national record for the long jump. Then, she broke it again. We continued to do weekly sessions, and finally the day came: Mexican Nationals aka Rio qualifications.

Yvonne needed a 6.70 to qualify for the Summer Olympics.

On her 5th jump (of 6) she hit an exact 6.70.

All Alejandro emailed me was “6.70” in the subject line. No email body was necessary.

Because Yvonne said that I was a big part of her making the Games, she told the Mexican Olympic Committee that she wanted me to be there. And they said, no problem.

So off I went to Rio...

August 12:

-I depart Philadelphia International Airport for Rio by way of Houston

-My flight comes in late. I miss my connecting flight to Rio. I get a seat on another flight to Rio by way of Sao Paulo, but it is canceled due to maintenance. The next flight was 9pm the next night, so I had 22 hours to wait in the airport (the airline would not pay for a hotel because the flight was delayed due to weather). As I walked around the airport, I saw on the monitor that the flight was scheduled to leave but they had already taken me off the list. I immediately went to the gate and asked if they had any seats left. THEY HAD ONE. They put me on but said my luggage definitely would not make it. That was okay with me. I would rather be in Rio luggage-less that hanging out for 22 hours in the airport.

August 13:

-I arrive in Sao Paulo, pick up my bags, and head to the counter to pick up my boarding pass. My flight was for the next day. They did not change my connecting flight. I kindly ask if there was any room on the next flight out and fortunately there was.

-We land in Rio at 2pm, only less than five hours later than originally scheduled, so not bad.

-The Mexican team greeted me after customs and with a challenging conversation due to a language barrier, they put me in a taxi to the Hotel Midas.

-I check in and there is no room for me. Finally, I get my room key and go up to room 905 to drop off my luggage, only to find that there are several pairs of shoes, and Mexican apparel all around the room. I needed to get to Olympic Village, so I dropped off my luggage, and went back down to the lobby so that a young Mexican could walk me to the Village. He spoke zero English so it was a quiet 15 minute walk.

-The sun set early because it was winter in Rio, so by the time I got to the Village, it was dark and I picked up my credential. 

-I texted my Olympian that I had arrived and she said she was on her way after finishing up treatment.

-We had never met in-person before, only via Skype, but when we saw each other, it was familiar and we gave each other a big hug.

-For the rest of the night, we grabbed a bite to eat, and took selfies at the Olympic rings and Rio 2016 landmarks in the Village.

-We chatted about the mental game, being at the Olympics, and the days to come...she was ready.

-The next day, we were to head to the track so that she could train with the great Carl Lewis, so we said our goodbyes, and I walked back to the hotel.

August 14:

-I meet Yvonne at Olympic Village and we take one of the fleet of buses with the Mexican doctor to the track to meet Carl Lewis.

-After a great training session in which Carl educated me on the technical aspects of the long jump and I picked his brain on the mental side of it, we took a photo and headed back to the Village to have lunch.

-We walked some more, recorded some videos, including a Facebook Live event, then parted ways.

August 15:

-This was an off day, which happened to be Yvonne and Alejandro’s 2 year wedding anniversary and the day that her technical coach, Drew Fucci arrived. Access to the Village was restricted and that was the only day that Yvonne’s husband was allowed in, so I said that I would go shopping, and meet up with them later on so they could enjoy some alone time on their special day.

-Later on, we all meet up at Olympic Village: me, Yvonne, her husband, and her technical coach. We walked, talked, and took it all in.

August 16:

-Game day. Yvonne’s competition was not until 9pm that night, so we met up in the morning, chatted, and then Drew and I headed back to the hotel to relax before meeting back at the Village to head to the stadium.

-As we were riding the athlete bus to the venue, Yvonne put on her headphones and listened to her music.

-The bus arrives and drops off the athletes, and us coaches walked around to enter the stadium.

-We were able to chat briefly with Yvonne from a distance when she was on the practice track. 

-She was ready.

-We sat in the stands with her and Alejandro’s family. It was a pleasure getting to know both families and it was amazing to me how much love was in their culture. 

-Yvonne had 3 jumps to qualify for the finals. Her first jump was a foul. Her second jump was not enough to qualify, so it was down to her last jump.

-She ran, she jumped, and it was a great jump that would qualify her...but she had a foul by 1 cm. It was over.

-I had no idea how Yvonne would react. She walked out of the stadium with the other athletes into the locker room. After what seemed forever, she appeared with Alejandro and hugs were given all around.

-What Yvonne said afterwards amazed me: “I am not sad. I am happy. I am grateful for being here and for all of you. BUT, I am not satisfied. This is a great learning experience, and I look forward to Tokyo 2020.

-Wow, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

-We all went to dinner at the restaurant that “The Girl from Ipanema” was written, and celebrated an amazing experience.

So here’s the rub...

I have worked with thousands of athletes, and as a mental performance coach, I don’t look at when an athlete is performing well.

Anybody can have a great attitude when they are doing well. 

What I look at is how an athlete reacts when they don’t reach their goal.

Well, Yvonne Trevino was looking to win a medal in Rio, but she didn’t.

What was her reaction?

Gratitude, and happiness.

She knew she prepared as best she could, so she just trusted her training.

She admitted that she was in the moment and enjoyed the competition.

She bounced back. She was resilient.

But she is not satisfied.

After a short break, Yvonne will be back at work and working towards Tokyo 2020.

I couldn’t be more proud of this young lady from Mexico who is probably the greatest long jumper in Mexican history.

How does this relate to you?

Well, you may not be an Olympic athlete, but with a little understanding of the mental game, you can have an Olympic attitude.

And THAT can help you succeed in everything you do from sports, business, school, and relationships.

Feel free to share this article, and reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading, and thank you, Yvonne for the opportunity to work with such an amazing athlete, and an amazing person.

A dream without a team is a nightmare.

Ed Tseng is a mental performance consultant, best-selling author, and keynote speaker who has helped thousands of people win more in sports, business, academics, and life. He has been a TEDx speaker and was named Pro of the Year for the USTA in 2005. For more information, visit: www.EdTseng.com.