He has a specific routine every time he races that helps him focus.
It’s not a surprise. I know other great athletes have visualization techniques to help them focus by imagining what they will achieve.
Yes, I just read a book that discussed how he really did imagine his practicing and his race and what he wanted to see himself.
I wonder if he knew that he was going to achieve what he did. 18 gold medals - he really is the most celebrated swimmer, maybe Olympian! What do you think?
I know he visualizes himself winning before he races, but I can't imagine anyone actually fathoming 18 gold medals.  It's crazy!  I am sure he can't believe it too.
I agree. He wasn’t born the driven, focused, world-class athlete. In fact, he apparently had trouble paying attention and focusing when he was young.
I wonder if swimming helped him concentrate and if it was something he had to work at hard or something that actually helped him,
Apparently even the big swim practices he had as a kid didn’t help him relax. His coach Bob Bowman gave him a book that outlined relaxation techniques, one of which was visualization. His success is definitely a result of good coaching, hard work, and training!
I didn't know that.  How interesting.  It really is about hard work and having a good coach who understands what you need.  It isn't all just how athletic he is.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a 6 foot 7 inch wingspan though!
Yes, that is definitely true!