Day 5 – From Roommates to Rivals: The Olympian Balancing Act | The Game Inside The Games

Michael Gervais (0:00)

Day five from Paris. How do Olympians balance the tension between being roommates and supportive teammates one day, and fierce competitors the next? welcome back, or welcome to the Game Inside the Games on Finding Mastery. I'm Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training, a high-performance psychologist.

Nastia Liukin (0:20)

And I'm Nastia Liukin, Olympic gold medalist, and we are here in Paris for the Olympic Games. And in this special series, we unlock the psychology of pivotal, often unseen moments that can make or break an athlete's dream. What's it like to focus a lifetime of experience into one performance, a single moment?

Michael Gervais (0:37)

What goes on inside the minds of the brightest Olympic stars while the whole world is watching? welcome back to Paris, and let's dive into the Game Inside the Games.

Nastia Liukin (0:47)

welcome back to Paris in the Game Inside the Games, presented by Microsoft Co-Pilot. I'm Olympic gold medalist, Nastia Liukin.

Michael Gervais (0:53)

And I am sport and performance psychologist, Dr. Michael Gervais. And together, we're bringing you an inside look at the games like never before.

Nastia Liukin (1:02)

One day, you're rooting for your teammate, rooming together in the Olympic Village. And the next day, you're competing against them in the individual competition. How do Olympians balance the tension between being roommates and supportive teammates one day and fierce rivals the next?

Michael Gervais (1:17)

We're going to find out. We're going to talk to someone today who has successfully navigated those dynamics and won five medals, including a gold medal in the gymnastics all around, and a silver medal in the team event, our own Nastia Liukin.

Nastia Liukin (1:33)

Thanks for having me.

Michael Gervais (1:35)

Yes. So what was it like?

Nastia Liukin (1:38)

So I think as teenagers, it was hard. I think that's what people don't quite realize.

We were teammates, absolutely. But we all lived in different states. We all had different coaches. And so we were put on a team to become a team weeks before the Olympics. So of course, we knew each other, like for years, we had trained separately, but competed against each other. And there was never a team competition until a world championships or an Olympic game. So it was challenging, I think, at times, because at the end of the day, we were trying to beat each other. And there were only six spots for that Olympic team, for the team. And then within that, there's the individual competitions, both in the all around, the event finals. And the way that the competition works is, you know, say for the event finals, top eight from the qualifying round go to the finals, well, only two per country. So pretty much on almost every event, the US would have at least three athletes finish top eight. So somebody was always knocked out of possibly winning a medal. So it was, you know, it was things like that, that you always want the best for your teammates. You're always cheering for them. But at the end of the day, you're also trying to beat them. And then like you're going to sleep next to each other, you know, looking on the other side of the room at somebody that you care about and that you want the best for, but you're also trying to beat on the competition floor.

Michael Gervais (3:11)

So two things. One is as teenagers, I mean, I'm so glad you bring that back up because the youth of gymnastics is sometimes overlooked and forgotten, that you barely know how life works. You've been in gymnastics, you know.

Nastia Liukin (3:26)

That's all you know.

Michael Gervais (3:27)

Right. So you know the gymnastics world really well. And at that age, relationships are really tricky. There's a lot going on. And to be able to navigate it well is something I think we can pay attention to. And when you're looking back, do you feel like you navigated it well?

Nastia Liukin (3:45)

Yeah, I think we did.

I mean, I don't like to live with regret. I do think that we all did the very best that we could. Like we were supportive teammates. I think the biggest problem or issue was not necessarily just us. It was all the noise around us trying to like put us against each other.

Michael Gervais (4:10)

Yeah, so this is really important. The best of the best of the best, they're able to navigate that noise and concentrate really well. It's almost like all that stuff fades away and you know what you're here for. You know what it is that you're working towards. But I hear you saying, I was trying to beat her as opposed to I was going to just be my best.