{"id":314,"date":"2018-02-05T13:10:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T12:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/?p=314"},"modified":"2018-02-05T13:10:51","modified_gmt":"2018-02-05T12:10:51","slug":"lizzy-yarnold-i-recognise-what-it-takes-emotionally-and-physically","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/?p=314","title":{"rendered":"Lizzy Yarnold: &#8216;I recognise what it takes emotionally and physically&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes when\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/lizzy-yarnold\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Lizzy Yarnold<\/a>\u00a0is hurtling down a skeleton track at 85mph her mind wanders ever so slightly and she notices the smells wafting from the stands or a flag in her peripheral vision, even as the corners loom and then whoosh past at frightening speeds. Almost always, something else happens, too: her jaw locks with tension.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mouth becomes fixed and open almost like in a scare mask,\u201d she says, laughing. \u201cIt\u2019s really weird. And then I have to tell myself after about three corners: \u2018OK, Lizzy, you can relax, it\u2019s fine \u2026 it\u2019s OK.\u2019 There\u2019s a lot of self-talk going on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Years ago Yarnold would try to eat a protein chocolate bar at the end of each run, only to find herself unable to chew it properly because her jaw was so sore. \u201cI couldn\u2019t work out why for ages,\u201d she says. \u201cThen suddenly I understood. I guess it is because I\u2019m so focused, looking through my eyebrows with my eyes right down.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-1 | 1\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item rich-link--pillar-sport\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Yarnold knows all about tension. Four years ago in Sochi she had the nation\u2019s expectations on her shoulders but produced four impeccable runs to win Britain\u2019s only gold medal. This time she has the weight of history on her back, too, as she seeks to become the first Briton to retain a Winter Olympic title. Already the self-talk is kicking in. Relax, she tells herself. You\u2019ve got\u00a0this.<\/p>\n<p>On the surface the 28-year-old has not enjoyed the smoothest of seasons and is ranked ninth in the World Cup standings. A third-place finish in her last race in K\u00f6nigsee a fortnight ago has given her the confidence to think everything is coming together just at the right time. \u201cI\u2019m absolutely going full force towards Pyeongchang and I can\u2019t wait to get out there,\u201d she says, before pointing out that she is lifting heavier weights in the gym than four years ago and feeling mentally stronger, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the past I would often cry in a training session, whereas now I\u2019m much more able to recognise what it will take emotionally and physically to get through and \u2013 more importantly \u2013 peak at the right point,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline1\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--inline1 ad-slot--rendered\" data-link-name=\"ad slot inline1\" data-name=\"inline1\" data-mobile=\"1,1|2,2|300,250|fluid\" data-desktop=\"1,1|2,2|300,250|620,1|620,350|fluid\" data-google-query-id=\"CI3X3f3ejtkCFVeRGwodAD8N0Q\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__label\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/sport\/article\/ng_6__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mental toughness matters. \u201cI\u2019ve slept in my own bed at home I think three times since 1 October,\u201d she says. \u201cSo it\u2019s about stamina, enjoying it, and bringing my A game when it counts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It helps that Yarnold has form at the Pyeongchang track, having finished fourth in the test event last year \u2013 but she is expecting a much harder challenge compared with Sochi. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely more technical,\u201d she says. \u201cIn Sochi you would do a corner then you could relax on the next one, focus on the next corner, relax. Whereas in Pyeongchang there\u2019s no time to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Yarnold believes she has kicked on from Sochi, others have, too \u2013 and at a faster rate. Her team\u2011mate, Laura Daes, in her first Olympics, is ranked seventh in the world, while the brilliant German, Jacqueline \u201cJacka\u201d L\u00f6lling, who turns 23 this week, is a strong favourite for gold. \u201cThe field has completely changed,\u201d says Yarnold. \u201cPeople have realised how important that first explosion of velocity is at the start.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is also the potential of a late wildcard contender as Elena Nikitina, who took bronze in Sochi, was one of the 28 Russians who had a lifetime Olympic ban overturned by the court of arbitration for sport on Thursday. She could yet appeal to the International Olympic Committee to get a place in Pyeongchang.<\/p>\n<p>Yarnold has been one of the strongest advocates for a ban on Russians implicated in doping in Sochi, but for now there can be no distractions: her entire focus is on her first run on Friday week. As she makes her final preparations, she coyly suggests that some behind-the-scenes innovations by the English Institute of Sport could yet help her get back on the podium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t get hold of the technical innovations until the Olympics and as soon as we finish competing it all disappears into someone\u2019s bag and is taken away,\u201d she says. \u201cBut that innovation on the equipment side is where we can make massive gains.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So is it a bit like James Bond, with you meeting a Q-like figure who says if you press this button, the German sled in front blows up? \u201cYeah, it\u2019s kind of a bit like that,\u201d she says, laughing away. \u201cI can\u2019t say anything more because I\u2019d have to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Source https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/sport\/2018\/feb\/04\/winter-olympics-pyeongchang-lizzy-yarnold-skeleton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes when\u00a0Lizzy Yarnold\u00a0is hurtling down a skeleton track at 85mph her mind wanders ever so slightly and she notices the smells wafting from the stands or a flag in her peripheral vision, even as the corners loom and then whoosh past at frightening speeds. Almost always, something else happens, too: her jaw locks with tension. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":315,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions\/315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/britishdailynews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}