WEBVTT - Life-Changing Pressure with Jessie Diggins 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:03.040 Welcome to good Game with Sarah Spain where not to 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:06.120 be a silly goose, but can someone check the beam? 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:08.920 Also hand me like eleven. 0:00:08.520 --> 0:00:10.920 Dy boxes of tissue because I am not ready to 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:16.040 say goodbye to watching Simone Biles to gymnastics. On today's show, 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:18.800 We're going to get some great perspective on Olympic pressure 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:21.759 from someone who knows it well but isn't currently enduring 0:00:21.800 --> 0:00:25.200 it three time Winter Olympic medalists and blissfully out of 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:29.240 season Jesse Diggins. We'll also conduct some balanced team inspections, 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:32.400 mowd the soccer pitches and practice our hammer throw technique, 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:34.080 and we'll reveal the name. 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:35.600 That you voted on. If we can't wait for you 0:00:35.640 --> 0:00:37.559 to hear it, it's all coming up right after this 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:40.280 welcome back. 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:45.000 First things first, our bad Dominica and all seventy two 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:46.520 thousand of you who live there. 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:52.040 Hey, Sarah, I know you get upset when things hit 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:54.400 your ears and you go, oh, that's not quite right. 0:00:55.120 --> 0:01:00.360 So this is not a dish, but just information. The 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:06.280 island nation of Dominika is actually pronounced slightly differently than everybody. 0:01:05.880 --> 0:01:09.200 Else does it. And that's knowledge I have because I 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:11.800 went there one hundred years ago when I was scuba 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:16.440 diving a long time ago. Anyways, Dominique is beautiful. It's tiny, 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:20.040 but anyways, I just know you've always like to get 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:24.800 to the actual information that's real and truthful. So anyways, 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:28.360 love the work, love the pod, love everything you're doing, and. 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:29.360 Have a great day. 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:31.680 Oh my name is Susan. Take care. 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:36.000 Thanks Susan for real, y'all. I actually love being corrected 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:38.399 because I want to get things right. So always send 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.800 the email, Always send the voicemail. Keep us honest over here. 0:01:41.680 --> 0:01:45.120 A good game. And you know what, while. 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:47.960 We're correcting mistakes here, I need to once again suggest 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:50.800 that Paris should have abandoned their plan to compete in 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:53.800 the send after the first sign that they might not 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.360 get the river in proper condition in time. Because that 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:59.240 rant I gave last week wasn't for nothing. Things have 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:02.360 gotten worse. In addition to pushing back competitions due to 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:06.280 sewage levels, leaving athletes unsure of their schedule and preparation. Now, 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:10.079 Belgium's Olympic team was forced to forfeit Monday's mixed competition 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:13.840 triathlon after one of its triathletes, Claire Michelle, got sick 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:17.200 after competing in the individual triathlon in the seen last week. 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:21.120 The Belgian team didn't describe her illness or specifically blame 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:25.560 the river, but Belgium newspaperd Standard reported that the triathlete 0:02:25.600 --> 0:02:29.200 was hospitalized on Sunday and treated for an equal eye infection. 0:02:29.840 --> 0:02:33.400 The Belgian teams release said, in part quote, Belgian Triathlon 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.080 hope that lessons will be learned for future triathlon competitions. 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.000 We are thinking of training days that can be guaranteed, 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:43.640 competition days and formats that are clear in advance, and 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:47.760 circumstances that do not cause uncertainty among athletes, entourage and 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:49.800 fans exactly. 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:52.880 All right, here's what you need to know today. 0:02:55.320 --> 0:02:57.680 In three x three basketball, the US started out Monday 0:02:57.720 --> 0:02:59.639 with a loss in the semi finals, dropping a nail 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.919 bier to Spain in overtime. But then in the tightly 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:06.760 contested bronze medal game, team USA beat Canada behind a 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:10.920 huge rebound and free throws from former Tennessee lady Volsierra 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:14.800 Burdick in the final seconds. What a turnaround for this quartet. 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.480 They started the Olympics zero to three, but they walk 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.680 away with a bronze medal. In the gold medal game, 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.440 Germany defeated Spain seventeen sixteen, marking the country's first ever 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:27.560 gold medal in the sport of basketball. In five on 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.240 five basketball, the US is onto the medal rounds after 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:32.800 going three to zero in group play. Team USA has 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:36.280 now won fifty eight straight games at the Olympics. That's 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:39.360 a streak that dates back to the ninety two Barcelona games. 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.480 Next up for Team USA a quarterfinal round matchup against Nigeria, 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:46.520 the first African team of any gender to make it 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:49.320 to the quarterfinals in basketball at the Olympics. That game 0:03:49.360 --> 0:03:53.480 is tomorrow at three thirty pm Eastern. Gymnastics wrapped up 0:03:53.480 --> 0:03:55.400 on Monday, and I think we all need to do 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:59.360 some breathing exercises after that balance beam final. Italy's Alitcha 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:01.480 Demato won gold on the event, but it was a 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:05.040 real messy competition and I hope someone actually did check 0:04:05.080 --> 0:04:07.000 to make sure that the beam hadn't shrunk from four 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.200 inches to three inches wide overnight, because four of the 0:04:10.240 --> 0:04:15.320 eight finalists fell, including both Simone Biles and Sunny Lee. 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:17.799 With the wind to model becomes the first Italian woman 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:20.760 to ever win gold in the sport of gymnastics. We're 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:24.279 happy for her, but that was way too stressful. About 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:27.360 an hour after the wabbly beam final, Simone Biles had 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.880 to dust herself off and get ready for the floor competition. 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.159 And because we hear a good game, are practicing living 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:36.480 in the moment, we attempted not to focus on whether 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:38.279 or not it was the last time we would ever 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:43.080 see Simone Biles compete with mixed results. 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:45.479 Okay, we did terribly. We thought about it the whole time, 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:46.400 and in the end. 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:49.440 It was Brazil's Rebecca Andrage who claimed the gold, with 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:52.040 Simone and teammate Jordan Childs finishing with silver. 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:54.200 And bronze, and it was kind of a wild scene 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:54.800 at the arena. 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:57.760 It originally looked like Childs had finished off the podium, 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:00.839 but her coaches submitted a petition on her behalf and 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:03.479 after a little bit of delay, her total was boosted 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:07.400 up by point one to reflect the proper difficulty component 0:05:07.440 --> 0:05:10.039 of one element of her routine, and that was enough 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.240 to put her on the podium. Chiles was elevated to bronze, 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:16.080 and if you haven't seen her reaction, we're going to 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:17.920 link to it in the show notes because it was 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:20.800 just such a joy to watch, and afterward, Chiles said 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:22.840 she didn't even know that her coaches had submitted the 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:25.680 appeal on her behalf. And I want to take this 0:05:25.800 --> 0:05:28.760 minute to reflect on Jordan Chiles' journey to this moment, 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:31.920 because three years ago in Tokyo, she had an uncharacteristically 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:34.120 bad showing in the qualifying round and didn't make the 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:37.600 cutoff for any of the individual events. But if you remember, 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:40.160 Simone Biles removed herself from the team competition due to 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.880 the twisties, and Chiles, who trains alongside Biles in Texas, 0:05:44.040 --> 0:05:47.039 stepped up to fill in on uneven bars and balance beam, 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:50.360 a very clutch performance that helped the US claim Olympic silver. 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:52.919 Now Here in Paris, she missed out on the individual 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:55.640 all around due to the two per country rule in gymnastics, 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.280 but she did help the US to team gold, and 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:01.839 today she competed in her first first individual Olympic event final, 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:04.960 winning bronze on floor. Of course, we also have to 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:07.800 shout out Child's viral floor routines while competing for UCLA. 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:10.240 If you haven't seen those, go look them up, especially 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:14.200 her performance in Lasher's NCAA competition, performing to nineties hits 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:16.640 like Salt and Pepa's Push It and TLC's Creep en 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.640 route to a national title. We love that, and leading 0:06:19.720 --> 0:06:21.640 up to the Games, we also loved watching her talk 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:23.800 about the good luck gifts and messages she was getting 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.960 from the likes of Beyonce, Megan the Stallion Michael Jordan, 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:30.760 by the way, my favorite thing about Chiles. Duh, she's 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:32.200 named after Michael Jordan. 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:33.360 Perfect. 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.839 Also perfect watching Simone and Jordan bowing to Brazil's Rebecca 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.520 Andrage the moment she stepped onto the metal podium. 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:42.720 Someone on the internet said it simply. 0:06:42.920 --> 0:06:47.080 Girlhood, a really beautiful display of sportsmanship and mutual respect. 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.360 And I aspired to one day grow up and be 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:51.799 mature enough to feel that way about anything I've ever lost. 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:56.520 Hasn't happened yet. War Gymnastics, because. 0:06:56.240 --> 0:06:58.320 We hear a good game, want to remind you that 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:01.400 we love silver medals and we love me too. But 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:04.880 here's a wild stat So by finishing second behind Andrage 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:08.440 on floor on Monday, Simone Biles lost a floora final 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:10.840 for the first time in her international career, a streak 0:07:10.880 --> 0:07:15.040 that started at the twenty thirteen World Championships. So let's 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:17.560 take a moment to let that sink in, because it's 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.480 so easy to take Simone biles greatness for granted. And 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:22.760 of course we're talking about her gymnastics, but also her 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.680 outspokenness on important topics like mental health and the well 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:26.720 being of athletes. 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:30.160 Everybody breathe in and out. 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:34.160 We have to tell ourselves, whatever she does next, we 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.080 know that she'll continue to shine. So congrats on the silver, 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:40.760 Congrats on bronze, Congrats on just showing up because we 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:42.080 know even that part was tough. 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:45.280 For a while. We love you, Simone. We're gonna go 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:46.000 cry for a while. 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.280 Meanwhile, on the beach under the Eiffel Tower, the gold 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:51.800 medal favorite Sarah Hughes and Kelly Cheng of Team USA 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:55.120 won their round of sixteen match on Sunday. They're onto 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:58.880 the quarterfinals, where they'll play Switzerland today at four pm Eastern. 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.720 In track and field, on Monday, American Valerie Allman defended 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:05.200 her gold medal in discus, becoming just the fourth American 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:08.280 woman to win the same individual track and field event twice. 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:11.000 She joins the likes of Wyomi Tias, Gail Devers, and 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:14.400 Jackie Joiner Kersey. Looking ahead to today, there are three 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:16.600 women's finals with gold medals on the line in the 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:20.120 hammer throw, steeplechase and two hundred meters. Here's a name 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:21.880 to look out for in the hammer throw, maybe a 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:25.840 surprising one, Poland's Anita Vlodarcik. Now you may recall that 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:28.880 Katie Ledeki just became the first woman from any country 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:31.360 in any sport to win four gold medals in the 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:36.240 same individual event. Well, today Vlodarcik could become the second. 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:39.320 In addition to owning both the world and Olympic records 0:08:39.320 --> 0:08:41.480 at hammer throw, she also won gold in. 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:43.400 London, Rio and Tokyo. 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:46.440 Something to watch and in case anyone's wondering, they do 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:49.319 not throw an actual hammer. It's a metal ball attached 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:51.240 to a steel wire. And if you didn't know that, 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:53.920 I suggest you watch. In the two hundred meters, three 0:08:53.960 --> 0:08:57.720 Americans qualified for the final Tokyo bronze medalist Gabby Thomas, 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:01.160 Britney Brown and Mackenzie Long faced new one hundred meter 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:04.240 gold medalist Julian Alfred of Saint Lucia. It's a pretty 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:07.240 wide open race as the three reigning world medalists aren't competing. 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:09.760 She Carrie Richardson actually won this event at last year's 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:12.520 World Champs, but she finished fourth at US Olympic Trials 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:15.240 at the distance, so she won't be competing. If you're 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.319 not familiar with Gabby Thomas, by the way, google her. 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:20.920 We will talk about her on a future show. But 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:24.040 if you want to feel real shitty about yourself, see 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:25.959 what Gaby Thomas is accomplished in life. 0:09:26.000 --> 0:09:26.600 What a champ. 0:09:27.320 --> 0:09:30.040 Finally, we want to shine a light on Afghanistan's Kimia 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:32.720 You Sophie. She finished last in her one hundred meter 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:35.000 preliminary heat last week, but she used her moment on 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:37.800 the world's biggest stage to send a message. As the 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:40.679 lone woman representing Afghanistan and track and field in Paris, 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:42.840 she wrote three words on the back of her bib 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:47.439 education our rights. Since twenty twenty one, when the Taliban 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:50.680 took control of Afghanistan, women and girls have suffered tremendously, 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:53.320 According to her report published by the UN in January, 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:56.040 the Taliban have barred women from nearly every aspect of 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:59.080 public life and implemented a ban on girls attending school 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:02.480 after grade six. Usophie was born to refugee parents in 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:06.240 Iran during the Taliban's previous rule, but relocated to Afghanistan 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:09.000 ahead of the twenty sixteen Rio Olympics and then served 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.720 as the country's opening ceremony flag bear three years ago 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:14.680 in Tokyo. But when the Taliban returned to power in 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:17.880 August of twenty twenty one, she fled to Iran and 0:10:17.960 --> 0:10:20.360 U Sophia, along with her mother and younger brother, eventually 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.760 managed to relocate to Australia with help from the Australian 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:26.240 Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee. 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:28.160 Ahead of these Paris Games, she. 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:31.160 Said her goal was to quote represent the stolen dreams 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:34.800 and aspirations of all Afghan women, and after her race, 0:10:35.080 --> 0:10:37.880 she told reporters quote, I think I feel a responsibility 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:41.360 for Afghan girls because they can't talk. She added quote, 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:43.280 I'm not a politics person. I just do what I 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:45.800 think is true. I can talk with media. I can 0:10:45.840 --> 0:10:49.040 be the voice of Afghan girls unquote. She went on 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:51.520 to say that she can express what Afghan girls want 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:54.960 basic rights, education and sports. 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:55.959 When I was in. 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:58.440 Australia last summer for the Women's World Cup, I hosted 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:01.560 a panel with the captain of the Afghanistan soccer team. 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:04.760 She and her teammates were also airlifted immediately out of 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:08.200 Afghanistan right when the Taliban took control, because everyone knew 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:10.520 that they were one of the most sought after groups 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.880 of people. And that might surprise you if you're not familiar, 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.600 but the women that were most at risk in Afghanistan 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:18.800 were the ones who were educated and the ones who 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:21.439 were empowered and in control of their bodies, which were 0:11:21.480 --> 0:11:23.960 the athletes. And it was remarkable to hear her talk 0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:26.880 about her team being moved to Australia while the rest 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:29.480 of their family members and friends were all left back 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:30.920 in Afghanistan. 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:31.800 Under the rule of the Taliban. 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:35.040 I'm so impressed by Yusophie making this statement on the 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.080 highest stage, and hope we continue to have conversations about 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.800 the girls and women in Afghanistan and the athletes who 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:44.160 are escaping to other countries and continuing to compete. So impressive. 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:49.040 All right, I bet you're wondering why I didn't mention soccer. 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.280 Well here it is, little. 0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:53.880 Primer, primer primer. 0:11:54.280 --> 0:11:56.520 US women's soccer team is taken out Germany today at 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:58.960 twelve pm Eastern and followed by Brazil Spain at three 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:01.640 pm Eastern. That's right down to just four and if 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:04.439 you remember, the US got quite familiar with Germany in 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:07.120 pool play, handing them a four to one loss. But 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:09.760 unfortunately they can't take any of those goals with them 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:12.320 because it's a clean slate for the semi final and 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:14.920 a spot in the gold medal match is on the line. 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.840 Both teams are coming off extra time victories, but the 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:19.800 Germans had to go to penalty kicks to do away 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:22.440 with Canada, so I'm wondering if maybe that little. 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:24.440 Extra effort will make them more fatigued. 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:27.840 Hard to say, because new Team USA coach Emma Hayes 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:31.120 has been very stingy with the subs in this tournament. 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:33.559 We'll see how those American legs are holding up, or 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:35.199 if she decides that she wants to switch up or 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:38.640 starters for the semi final game. Unlike their kind of slow, 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.720 sticky last game against Japan, when the US faced Germany 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.400 and pool play, they moved freely, they passed with ease, 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:46.679 They got to really play their style. We'll see if 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:49.280 Germany switches up their approach for the rematch after. 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:50.200 Watching that Japan game. 0:12:50.480 --> 0:12:53.400 One player to watch either way is Bayern Munich's Leah Schula. 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:56.320 She's one of Germany's primary goal threats. She scored three 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.080 goals so far in this tournament. Germany and the US 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:01.120 are two of just three countries to win both the 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.560 Women's World Cup and Olympic gold and coming into this Olympics, 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:06.920 the Germans were ranked fourth in the FIFA rankings, a 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:08.280 spot ahead of the US. 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:10.840 The bronze medal game will be Friday, while the gold 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:12.199 medal match is Saturday. 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.920 Oh fun fact too, there are over one thousand kinds 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:19.240 of sausages in Germany and the longest word in the 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:21.600 German language is seventy nine letters long. 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:22.559 It sounds like. 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:25.840 This, Don domp schif'spat electricy tit and halp the troops 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:28.360 bowl the celshaft. 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:31.840 Thank you SoundCloud user and Haines. All right, we gotta 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:34.000 go flip our schnitzel and stir our sauer krawd. It's 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:45.079 almost game time when we come back. Joining us now 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:48.280 a three time Olympic medalist, including winning the first ever 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.000 gold medal for the US and cross country skiing, She's 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:53.640 coming off the best ever seasoned by an American in 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:56.560 the sport, highlighted by her overall World Cup title win. 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:58.520 She's the author of Brave enough. 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:01.280 She's met with lawmakers on Capital Hill to advocate for 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:04.280 climate policy, and she's an ambassador for the Emily Program, 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:08.280 an organization that provides specialized treatment for eating disorders. Fun fact, 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:12.560 she wears glitter every time she races. It's Jesse Diggins. 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:17.000 What's up. Jesse, Hey, Sarah, Thank you for having me, 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:19.840 Thank you for coming on. This was such a good idea. 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.400 This was actually producer Alex's idea, our Olympic Expert, because 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:25.360 we thought it would be really good to have an 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:28.480 Olympic athlete on who can talk about the Olympic experience 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:30.160 well at a safe distance from it. 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:30.680 Right. 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:33.280 So interviewing the athletes when they're about to leave or 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:35.440 when they're about to compete means they're in this very 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:39.160 specific and particular mindset, and we wanted some perspective that's 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:42.480 not clouded by training or nerves or expectations or all 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:44.360 of the stuff that comes with trying to just get 0:14:44.400 --> 0:14:46.560 through one of the biggest moments of your life. So 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:49.520 you're in your off season technically, so we're getting you 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.000 at a good time to talk about the Olympics. And 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:53.840 I want to start with the basics, like, what do 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:55.800 you think the number one thing is that fans at 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:57.800 home don't understand about the Olympics. 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:04.880 I think this will be dependent on your sport, but 0:15:05.040 --> 0:15:08.440 for most of us, you wait for four years for 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.680 the world to watch what you're doing. But you haven't stopped. 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.760 You haven't been frozen in time from one Olympics to 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:17.480 the next. So you're still training, you're still competing all 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:22.240 winter long, and once every four years your country just 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:25.920 goes ballistic and everybody's watching and all the pressure of 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.240 the world is heaped on you. And so like we 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:33.040 raised I raised thirty something times every single season on 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:35.440 the World Cup circuit. We have World Championships, but in 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:39.280 the US it's like the Olympics or nothing. And so 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:43.400 the amount of pressure and lights and attention and eyes 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.760 that are on you for this one moment every four years, 0:15:47.320 --> 0:15:51.520 it is extremely hard to perform under that. And when 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:54.800 you can pull it together and perform in the one 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:58.000 moment it matters, it will actually change your life. And 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:00.960 so it is I mean, and it's not an exaggeration 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:04.160 to say that it's life changing pressure that you're carrying 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:06.400 on your shoulders, and you have to be able to 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:09.200 relax and do what you do underneath that, and so 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:12.320 I think that's just something that it's hard to describe 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:15.160 that kind of feeling unless you've been through it. And 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:18.480 I think it definitely changes games to games as well. 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:21.640 So my first Olympics in twenty fourteen, I was there. 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:24.200 I was the baby of the team, and I kind 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:26.880 of knew in my sport, you will probably if you 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:29.960 continue to train hard, have multiple Olympics. So for me, 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:33.960 I was there to gain experience. Now, if you're a 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:38.120 young gymnast, you might be eighteen twenty, really really young, 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.600 but that may be your one chance and you are 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:44.640 expected to perform in that moment. So I think it's 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:46.640 also really interesting sport to sport. 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:49.760 I think it changes, well, it's not just performing in 0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.160 that moment to change your life, but that's also when 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:54.600 all the interview requests come in, all the sponsors, so 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:56.760 like you're managing the busiest time of your life at 0:16:56.800 --> 0:16:58.760 the time when anyone else would say, I'm going to 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:00.360 put those aside for a couple of months and come 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:02.040 back to them once the work is done, but no, 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:04.520 it all has to happen at once. Sports are about 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:09.320 muscle memory, preparation, training, doing everything you can before the 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:11.200 actual events so that when you get there you could 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:13.960 just focus on performance. How hard is that to do 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:17.840 at the Olympics, Like, how different is it competing there 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:19.280 versus every other competition. 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:26.160 I think in some ways it's no different, right, It's 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.720 just another race. You do your same warm up, you 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:31.520 do your same process of ski selection and wax testing 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.240 and all of that. It's all the same thing, and 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:36.520 then you find comfort in that routine, right, Like I'm 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:38.280 doing this thing that I always do. I've done this 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:40.679 since high school. Like I put my skis on one 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:42.760 at a time, like I've always done it this way. 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:46.359 Nothing is different just because I'm wearing a bib that 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:49.320 has the Olympic rings across the chest, which is terrifying. 0:17:50.000 --> 0:17:53.080 But in many ways, there are a lot of different things, 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:55.760 Like you said, the media attention that asks the hype. 0:17:57.080 --> 0:17:59.760 All of a sudden, you know, you go from feeling like, ah, 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:03.720 nobody is really watching to like, wow, there's multiple cameras 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:06.520 focused on me at once at all moments, and that 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.680 that does change when you suddenly feel the eyes on you. 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:14.560 And I think a lot of it is simply focusing 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.760 on what you can control and trying to not block 0:18:18.800 --> 0:18:21.440 out the noise. And this is something that we've talked 0:18:21.480 --> 0:18:24.160 about in the sports psychology realm. Like if I tell 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:29.280 you do not think about an apple, no circumstances, think 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:29.600 about it. 0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:33.600 Thank you, it was red, it looked delicious, think about it. 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:37.800 But if I say, go ahead, think about an apple, 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:41.359 but still ask me your interview questions, you can do both. 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:44.359 But if you're so focused on trying to block this out, no, 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:46.680 I'm not thinking about it. I'm not seeing it. It's 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:50.640 not there. That's so much energy going towards blocking out 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:52.560 that noise that you don't want. And so I think 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:56.680 we've shifted the model to yes, there's a lot of lights. Yes, 0:18:57.040 --> 0:18:59.560 there's a lot of pressure. Of course, there's a million 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.240 cameras and there's a lot of interviews. There's a lot 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:05.679 going on, and I can still focus. 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:07.440 I love that. I love that. 0:19:07.600 --> 0:19:10.040 It's just like it's just like meditation. 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:13.160 They'll always say, if you get a thought, don't try 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:14.800 to push it out, just let it float. 0:19:14.640 --> 0:19:16.680 By like a cloud. You see it, but it's not 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:18.680 for now, and you let it float away. 0:19:19.520 --> 0:19:21.840 I love that's such a good perspective for literally anything, 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:24.800 not just competing in the Olympics, like I love that. 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.120 What is it like watching the Olympics versus competing in them? 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:32.359 Because I lose my mind, I cry, I tense up 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:35.359 my hands. I realize that my body hasn't moved from 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:38.240 like a position for like thirty minutes because I'm nervous. 0:19:38.560 --> 0:19:41.520 And that's just watching like you're actually able to empathize 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:43.160 so much better with what they're going through. 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:46.520 So how does it feel watching? Oh? 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:46.880 Man? 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:51.080