The Life of an Olympian – Kathuna Lorig– Focus, Grit & Cultural Influence

Khatuna has been an Olympian since ’92 and has competed in the Olympic games ever since then so she is the embodiment of a true Olympian. Growing up in Georgia (the country) and training under the Soviet regime you could say her training was quite different from the training that most youth receive nowadays. This enormous dedication from an early age is one of the distinguishing factors in Kathuna’s story as an athlete. Besides unconventional training she also competed in her first Olympics while pregnant and through the years has returned to the Olympic games with new sets of challenges. If there is anyone who has seen it all and been through it all in the world of archery, it’s Khatuna.

During our conversation we discuss what the training experience for her was early on and how it affected the mental side of being an athlete. Next up we talked about focus in archery, the importance of it and what happens when the mind jumps into the process. Khatuna also shares her step-by-step method that she follows on every shot. Another part of our conversation we discuss the hardships she has been through and how she dealt with all types of stress in her career. Lastly, we discussed the influence of culture (or lack thereof) when it comes to the Olympics and Kathuna shares an interesting insight on what she thinks is a key difference between the U.S.A. and South Korea. As always I hope you enjoy this episode and take away something you can apply in your life.

0:30 Introduction

3:14 Khatuna's First Experience With Archery

4:51 Early Emphasis on Physical Technique

5:40 How Dedication Played a Role

6:43 The Difference Between US and Soviet Training

8:41 Focus - The Importance & Unconventional Training

15:00 Khatuna's Thoughts on Aiming

17:49 Physical Tension vs. Mental Relaxation

21:41 Divine Intervention?

25:00 Grit - Dealing With Adversity: Olympics, Pregnancy & Politics

28:27 Influence of Stress & Teamwork

32:00 Coping - Support From Your Environment

33:25 How The Archery Focus Bubble Held Up

35:42 Khatuna's Olympic Track Record

37:55 Goal Setting in Archery Competition

41:45 Khatuna's Long Term View

45:02 Mental Growth Over The Years

47:33 Current Mental Challenges for Khatuna

49:07 The 10 Steps of Khatuna Lorig's Archery

52:16 A Cultural Perspective on Mindset & Training

55:37 Why You Should Get Into Archery

58:41 Khatuna's Favorite Mental Practice

59:37 Practice Required

1:01:27 Khatuna's Focus Bubble