WEBVTT - Boxer Tina Rahimi on how Olympians handle the pressure

0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.160
<v Speaker 1>Hey there, I am Felicity Harley and you're listening to

0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:06.520
<v Speaker 1>an extra special episode of Healthy Ish, your podcast from

0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:10.119
<v Speaker 1>Body and Soul. Yes, this week we're celebrating our superstar Olympians.

0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:14.440
<v Speaker 1>On this episode, we're joined by Tina Rahimi, our first

0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:18.680
<v Speaker 1>Muslim female Olympic boxer, to chat about how she's handling

0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:23.200
<v Speaker 1>the pressure of Paris. It is, after all, her first Olympics.

0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:25.599
<v Speaker 1>Now keep in mind Tina popped into the studio a

0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:29.520
<v Speaker 1>few months before she flew out to Paris. Oh, you know,

0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:32.519
<v Speaker 1>be inspired by this chat with her. If you do

0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:35.240
<v Speaker 1>want more from Tina, make sure you're listening to extra

0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:38.159
<v Speaker 1>Healthy Ish, where she shares how she finds courage to

0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:54.560
<v Speaker 1>not give up and catch that where we get your podcasts. Tina,

0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:56.520
<v Speaker 1>Welcome into Body and Soul.

0:00:56.680 --> 0:00:56.880
<v Speaker 2>HQ.

0:00:57.000 --> 0:00:59.720
<v Speaker 3>How are you good. I'm doing very well this morning.

0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:00.000
<v Speaker 3>How are you?

0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.600
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm good and you know what, congratulations well done

0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.080
<v Speaker 1>on making it to Paris. How does it feel?

0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:09.240
<v Speaker 2>It's I get asked this all the time, and I

0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:13.240
<v Speaker 2>think it's I think getting closer and closer it's really feeling.

0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.040
<v Speaker 2>I think it's a bit nerve wracking. I would say

0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:20.000
<v Speaker 2>it's exciting at the same time. But yeah, I guess

0:01:20.000 --> 0:01:21.360
<v Speaker 2>I'm just feeling really excited.

0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:24.560
<v Speaker 1>I would say as an athlete, I mean, visualization is

0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:27.280
<v Speaker 1>a big thing with a lot of athletes. Do you

0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:31.839
<v Speaker 1>imagine yourself being in the middle of the podium.

0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:34.840
<v Speaker 2>I think that's what my mind is set to, Like

0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.959
<v Speaker 2>I can see myself just standing at the on the

0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:40.640
<v Speaker 2>podium and just winning a gold medal. I think it's

0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:43.280
<v Speaker 2>just you've got to manifest it, like I believe if

0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:45.920
<v Speaker 2>you truly believe it, And this is like what I've

0:01:45.959 --> 0:01:48.680
<v Speaker 2>been doing with everything that I've achieved. I've got to

0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:50.760
<v Speaker 2>make sure that I'm one hundred percent certain that I

0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:51.640
<v Speaker 2>will get.

0:01:51.400 --> 0:01:52.920
<v Speaker 3>My goal and that i will achieve it.

0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:55.520
<v Speaker 2>And I think if you have that mindset then and

0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.360
<v Speaker 2>you've worked hard for it, then what's impossible?

0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:01.760
<v Speaker 1>I would say, yeah, yeah, well it's absolutely possible. Is

0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.600
<v Speaker 1>there one thing that you're most excited about when it

0:02:04.600 --> 0:02:05.320
<v Speaker 1>comes to Paris?

0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.720
<v Speaker 3>I think it's just the whole process.

0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:10.920
<v Speaker 2>Like just even now two months out, I think just

0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:14.160
<v Speaker 2>you know, being able to travel and have all these

0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:17.960
<v Speaker 2>competitions and preparation leading to that is just all really exciting.

0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:21.280
<v Speaker 2>I think I'm just looking forward to just finally being

0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:25.160
<v Speaker 2>then having that real and raw emotion once I'm there,

0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.040
<v Speaker 2>I think I'm just excited to be representing my country.

0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:29.920
<v Speaker 2>I would say, to be you know, in our green

0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:33.040
<v Speaker 2>and gold and our new uniforms, it would just be

0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.840
<v Speaker 2>I would just know that I'll have just a great

0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:39.400
<v Speaker 2>feeling and I'll just be full of excitement.

0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:42.400
<v Speaker 3>So I'm looking forward to it. Well, we're also excited.

0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:45.400
<v Speaker 1>And the other thing I'm actually excited about is, you know,

0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:48.440
<v Speaker 1>I've interviewed a lot of female athletes in my time

0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:51.280
<v Speaker 1>as a journalist and back when I was editor Women's Health,

0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:55.640
<v Speaker 1>but I've never interviewed a female Muslim boxer. You're going

0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.960
<v Speaker 1>to be the first Australian one at the Olympics.

0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.799
<v Speaker 3>How does this sit with you? I think it sits

0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:04.520
<v Speaker 3>really well. I think it's just this really.

0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:07.160
<v Speaker 2>Opens up new opportunities for a lot of women out there,

0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.480
<v Speaker 2>not just Muslim women. I think it just it shows

0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:12.760
<v Speaker 2>that we are us. Women are capable of anything, and

0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.240
<v Speaker 2>we can have our own beliefs, stress how we want

0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:16.799
<v Speaker 2>to and you know, at the end of the date,

0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:18.760
<v Speaker 2>it's not going to perform, it's not going to affect

0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:23.040
<v Speaker 2>our performance, So why can't we just you know, showcase

0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.239
<v Speaker 2>our skills and not really worry about what we believe

0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:27.160
<v Speaker 2>in or how we dress. I think I don't look

0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:31.040
<v Speaker 2>like a typical Australian and I don't mind that, and

0:03:31.080 --> 0:03:33.240
<v Speaker 2>I think it just I think it really opens up

0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:36.760
<v Speaker 2>more opportunities for women and I'm glad to showcase that

0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:40.080
<v Speaker 2>I have. I feel included and I'm you know, inclusive

0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:40.680
<v Speaker 2>in a sport.

0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:43.720
<v Speaker 1>Yeah yeah, well, well thank you for kind of flying

0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.440
<v Speaker 1>that flag as well. What does your training look like

0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:48.240
<v Speaker 1>in the lead up to Paris?

0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:51.440
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so, I, like I was telling you before, we're

0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:54.280
<v Speaker 2>literally going to be home. I'm going to be home

0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:56.840
<v Speaker 2>for I think two weeks now it's two and a

0:03:56.880 --> 0:03:59.320
<v Speaker 2>half months out and I'll only be home for two

0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.080
<v Speaker 2>weeks period. So we're going away and we're going to

0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.160
<v Speaker 2>compete and then in Netherlands. Once we're back, I'm straight

0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:10.520
<v Speaker 2>to Brisbane. Straight from Brisbane to Germany where we have

0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:13.480
<v Speaker 2>our final preparation and then there we are in Paris

0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:16.760
<v Speaker 2>getting ready to prepare and fight.

0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:18.840
<v Speaker 3>What does your prep look like like?

0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:21.960
<v Speaker 1>What do you talk us through exactly what you do

0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:24.840
<v Speaker 1>the training in the gym versus do you have mock

0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:27.200
<v Speaker 1>matches or what goes on.

0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:29.039
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so a lot of time when we travel and

0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:31.719
<v Speaker 2>we do these international camps, we have like a lot

0:04:31.720 --> 0:04:34.719
<v Speaker 2>of competitive sparring that are exactly like fights. You have

0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:37.479
<v Speaker 2>the referee in there. And then our training is pretty

0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.880
<v Speaker 2>much well, when we're with our national coach, it's two

0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:41.920
<v Speaker 2>to three times a day, so you know, you've got

0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:44.080
<v Speaker 2>your strength, you're running, and then you've got your boxing

0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:46.840
<v Speaker 2>and partner work, and then on other days you'll have

0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:50.440
<v Speaker 2>your your competition sparring and then like now we're going

0:04:50.480 --> 0:04:53.120
<v Speaker 2>overseas and I've got an actual proper fight as well.

0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:54.560
<v Speaker 3>So that's all.

0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:58.120
<v Speaker 2>Prepil until the Olympics, which is fantastic, and that's something

0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.360
<v Speaker 2>that we need to know what we're what level at

0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:04.600
<v Speaker 2>and to you know, tune everything that we need to, yeah,

0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:05.800
<v Speaker 2>to finally step in the ring.

0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:08.640
<v Speaker 1>Do you get nervous going to those preparation fights, Like

0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:10.960
<v Speaker 1>where's your head space at? I mean, it's not the

0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.719
<v Speaker 1>big event, but is there still nerves?

0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:17.880
<v Speaker 2>And yeah, I think for me now, like before, there

0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:19.320
<v Speaker 2>used to be a lot of pressure. I think I

0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:21.160
<v Speaker 2>used to put a lot of pressure on myself stepping

0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:22.680
<v Speaker 2>into the ring and I used to say, oh, I

0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:24.480
<v Speaker 2>need to win this fight and if I didn't win,

0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:26.800
<v Speaker 2>I would cry and I think it's just a normal reaction.

0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.279
<v Speaker 2>But I think now I tell myself, you know, you

0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:32.479
<v Speaker 2>this is not the major event, like you need to

0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:34.279
<v Speaker 2>take out everything that you need out of this fight.

0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:35.960
<v Speaker 2>Like my goal is to go in there make sure

0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:37.800
<v Speaker 2>that I win. And that's what I you know, I

0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:40.839
<v Speaker 2>don't slack off or anything in competition, but I just

0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:44.280
<v Speaker 2>like to sort of ease myself and don't have that

0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:46.000
<v Speaker 2>because when you have that pressure you want it, you

0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:47.800
<v Speaker 2>overperform and then you don't do well.

0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:50.279
<v Speaker 3>That's what I That's how I felt in the past.

0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:52.520
<v Speaker 3>I just try too hard, I would say.

0:05:52.600 --> 0:05:55.120
<v Speaker 2>So I like to just sort of, you know, take

0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:57.200
<v Speaker 2>it as an experience and say like this is like

0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.720
<v Speaker 2>another sparring session. Yeah, you know where you're relax and

0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:02.880
<v Speaker 2>I usually do really well with my spas, So I

0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:04.480
<v Speaker 2>don't like to get to my head too much.

0:06:04.800 --> 0:06:06.760
<v Speaker 3>And yeah, what about.

0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:10.720
<v Speaker 1>At the actual event, I mean, what's your mindset? Light?

0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.480
<v Speaker 1>Because there is pressure, there's the whole of Australia watching.

0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:18.080
<v Speaker 1>How are you gonna approach that in terms of mindset? Well,

0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:20.000
<v Speaker 1>not to put any pressure on you. Yeah, yeah, no,

0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:20.640
<v Speaker 1>that's fine.

0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:23.600
<v Speaker 2>I think, Well, the most pressure that I had was

0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.640
<v Speaker 2>at the Commonwealth Games. I think I was nervous one

0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:28.520
<v Speaker 2>week before the fight, before I even knew who I

0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.320
<v Speaker 2>was fighting, Like I was so so nervous, like I

0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:33.800
<v Speaker 2>would wake up and have butterflies in my stomach. I would,

0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:36.039
<v Speaker 2>and it was just like I knew I had so

0:06:36.120 --> 0:06:38.520
<v Speaker 2>much support from home, and I knew so many people, yeah,

0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:40.240
<v Speaker 2>t you know, you better win us a metal like

0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:44.520
<v Speaker 2>I know, like yeah ye, or like you'll have so

0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:46.919
<v Speaker 2>many people messaging me like oh, you're an inspiration. I

0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:49.000
<v Speaker 2>really hope that you win. And then I was like,

0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.640
<v Speaker 2>oh my gosh, like I'm doing this to, you know,

0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:53.880
<v Speaker 2>just prove for myself what I'm capable of. But then

0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:56.280
<v Speaker 2>I have so much pressure of people expecting me to

0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:58.440
<v Speaker 2>win or wanting me to win and really encouraging me

0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:02.119
<v Speaker 2>as well. So I think it just becomes really really hard,

0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:04.920
<v Speaker 2>and I think I think I'm just going to ride

0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:07.160
<v Speaker 2>the wave. I think you'll just see how we go.

0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:10.520
<v Speaker 2>Like recently I haven't been as nervous, but I think,

0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:12.600
<v Speaker 2>come on to steal Olympics. It's going to be on

0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:14.680
<v Speaker 2>Channel nine and there's gonna be all eyes on me.

0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.400
<v Speaker 2>So I think it's just going to be a lot

0:07:17.400 --> 0:07:19.720
<v Speaker 2>of pressure, but I'm going to give it my all.

0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.720
<v Speaker 1>And yeah, the cop Games was like a prep run

0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:24.960
<v Speaker 1>in some ways, wasn't it. So you have been there,

0:07:25.040 --> 0:07:28.040
<v Speaker 1>you know kind of what you know eighty percent of

0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:28.960
<v Speaker 1>what it might be like.

0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.680
<v Speaker 2>I think it's just going to be one hundred that

0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:36.200
<v Speaker 2>Kom Games times one hundred. Yeah, but yeah, I think

0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.440
<v Speaker 2>it's just going to be I think it's going to

0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:39.040
<v Speaker 2>be exciting.

0:07:39.400 --> 0:07:39.840
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:42.040
<v Speaker 1>Now on your Instagram, there's a great quote from Mike

0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:44.840
<v Speaker 1>Tyson the temptation for greatness is the biggest drug in

0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.120
<v Speaker 1>the world. What does greatness look like to you?

0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:50.720
<v Speaker 2>I think I love this quote past, Yeah, I absolutely

0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:53.120
<v Speaker 2>love it. I think I've actually wrote this on one

0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:55.560
<v Speaker 2>of my posts after I qualified for the Olympics. I

0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:57.640
<v Speaker 2>think it was and it was just me being more

0:07:57.720 --> 0:08:00.960
<v Speaker 2>hungry and hungry to achieve more more greatness. I think

0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.800
<v Speaker 2>it's just it definitely is like a drug. Like the

0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.760
<v Speaker 2>more you achieve, the more you want to keep achieving,

0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:08.600
<v Speaker 2>the more that you want to prove to yourself that

0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:11.520
<v Speaker 2>anything is possible and you're capable of doing more than

0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:13.800
<v Speaker 2>what you said you're going to do. So I think

0:08:13.920 --> 0:08:16.040
<v Speaker 2>like for me qualifying, I never thought that that would

0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:18.440
<v Speaker 2>be something that would be possible, Like, come on, I'm

0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:21.680
<v Speaker 2>an Olympian, Like people would dream and die to go

0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:24.160
<v Speaker 2>to the Olympics, and I've achieved that, and it's like, okay,

0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:27.120
<v Speaker 2>what's next now, Like okay, I want to I want

0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:28.920
<v Speaker 2>a gold medal now. And it's just like it's like

0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:30.880
<v Speaker 2>a drug. Like you're like, when am I going to

0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:33.320
<v Speaker 2>be satisfied? And I think a lot of athletes struggle

0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:36.640
<v Speaker 2>with that, so it's like a constant battle and you're like, okay,

0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:38.760
<v Speaker 2>I when do I stop? Like I just want to

0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:40.840
<v Speaker 2>keep getting better and better and better, and it's just

0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.839
<v Speaker 2>like a drugs drug, like give me success.

0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:47.760
<v Speaker 1>Well, we wish you all the success in Paris, and

0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:49.200
<v Speaker 1>thank you for stopping by.

0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:53.200
<v Speaker 2>And I'm healthy, thank you, thanks for having me.

0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.920
<v Speaker 1>What does greatness look like to you? Well, I hope

0:08:59.920 --> 0:09:03.880
<v Speaker 1>you are inspired by Tina and all the other athletes

0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:07.920
<v Speaker 1>will be flying the flag for us in Paris. Anyway,

0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:09.560
<v Speaker 1>I hope you did enjoy this chat. Jump on and

0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:12.920
<v Speaker 1>tell us if you did or not. We welcome more feedback.

0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:16.199
<v Speaker 1>You can rate and review it of course, our subscribe

0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.640
<v Speaker 1>to this podcast, share this app with a friend. We

0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:21.040
<v Speaker 1>do have a special Paris hub on the Body and

0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:24.720
<v Speaker 1>Soul website to celebrate the Olympics. Jump on there and

0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:26.880
<v Speaker 1>take a look around. You can follow us on social

0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:28.679
<v Speaker 1>media or grow a print edition which is out in

0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.360
<v Speaker 1>your local Sunday paper. And until tomorrow, go Aussie and

0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:37.040
<v Speaker 1>stay healthy.