Thirteen ways to think like an Olympic champion

By Susie East, for CNN

Updated 1528 GMT (2328 HKT) August 5, 2016

With Rio around the corner, athletes are gearing up to compete on the world stage, watched by billions of people globally.<br /> <br />They don't just need to be in peak physical condition, they need to be psychologically ready as well. Top experts share what it takes to think like a champion.
Photos: Training your mind to win
The psychology of winning – With Rio around the corner, athletes are gearing up to compete on the world stage, watched by billions of people globally.

They don't just need to be in peak physical condition, they need to be psychologically ready as well. Top experts share what it takes to think like a champion.
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"Focus very much on yourself and your own abilities rather than people too much," says Dr David Fletcher, Senior lecturer in Sport and Performance Psychology at <a href="http://www.lboro.ac.uk/?external" target="_blank">Loughborough University</a>. "You have to be very preoccupied with your own performance, almost bordering on obsessional."