Day 1 - The Stage is Set | The Game Inside the Games

Michael Gervais (0:00)

Day one from Paris. We're exploring a question many may not think of. Does an Olympian participate in the opening ceremonies? Let's dive in.

Welcome to The Game Inside The Games, presented by Microsoft Co-Pilot. And I'm here today with five-time medalist Nastia Liukin, who also won a gold medal in gymnastics in the all-around. So Nastia, you've got a unique experience of what it's like to compete in the Olympic Games, to be in the amphitheater, one of the most celebrated sporting environments.

And there's something that people that have not had the experience that you've had, the wealth and the richness of information and the way that you have operated in that arena is something that's really unique. And I'm really excited to have you here to talk about The Game Inside The Games.

Nastia Liukin (0:50)

And I think, first of all, thank you. And I think what is so cool, the first time that we spoke when I was on Finding Mastery, I was just so enamored by the fact that you knew exactly how or why I did all the things that I did.

Because I was taught and told to do them.

And I didn't really know why, but it worked. You know, it helped me win that Olympic gold medal. And so I think what's so unique about even having these conversations is the internal experience that you can help everybody understand, even myself. And I think that is so special. And I think it's something that people watching at home, they don't see that. They see either the gold medal winning moments, the fairy tale days or the days of disappointment. And they don't know why. Why did that happen? Why did somebody that has been the absolute best falter?

Michael Gervais (1:38)

That's exactly. So that really, when we talk about The Game Inside The Games, we're pointing to the psychology of the experience, how we prepare to be able to adjust, how we ready ourselves to be able to be our very best, independent of the environment.

And we're just using one of the greatest sporting environments ever to highlight how psychology works.

Nastia Liukin (1:58)

Absolutely. And I think that's something that comes with being a professional athlete. I remember my dad, who was my coach, also an Olympic gold medalist himself. And I would come to a competition and tell him that maybe the beam felt crooked, or it was too hot, or the chalk feels weird. Make these excuses in my head almost. And he said, that's part of being a professional athlete. You have to learn how to adapt. And that's only on you. Nobody else can do that for you.

So as much as you have your team, you're part of a team here, and you're helping the athlete be the absolute best at the end of the day, the athlete has to do it.

Michael Gervais (2:34)

They're the one that walks into the amphitheater on the floor, whatever the experience is.

Nastia Liukin (2:37)

The opening ceremony, whatever it is that this athlete is here for a reason. They've trained their whole entire life for this moment. And not to like take away from any other sport, but think about the Olympic Games. It's once in every four years. And for somebody, it's myself included, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience to be your absolute best on the day that it mattered.

How?

Michael Gervais (3:02)

Why? How and why? Like, how do we do that?

There's about 10,000 athletes that are here. And for some of those athletes, they are, the celebration has already begun because they're here.

For other athletes, they've got their eye on the podium. And they're in that small margin of people that potentially can win and people that maybe don't have the physical or technical or psychological abilities to compete against the ones that are absolutely on the path for gold or silver or bronze. So there's a difference between some folks that are here and some folks that are competing for a medal. And you were one of those folks that were competing for a medal.

Nastia Liukin (3:42)

Yeah, I guess, you know, it's being named to an Olympic team, you put a check by it.

And I felt like I was able to do that. And then you're not actually an official Olympian until you step foot on the competition floor and you compete for the first time. So now you're considered an Olympian. But for us, it didn't stop there. You know, we had the team finals, we had the all-around finals, the event finals, so many different opportunities to become an Olympic champion.

And for me, it was something that I dreamed about ever since I was a little girl. So making it for me wasn't enough.