The secret of Ana Peleteiro, who became the European champion, lies in the mountains of Guadalajara | Relief

Rome.- “Everyone who has fame and success you have to put up with people who can’t stand the success of others“. This is how he defines coach Rebeca Lopez what his most media patient, the European gold winner in the triple jump, is going through Ana Peleteiro almost daily. The decision comes just hours after the athlete was subjected to a new episode of racist abuse on her social media in a post where she was wearing the colors of the new Spain kit, prompting her to announce that she would not be using her credentials records. .until further notice” to focus solely and exclusively on the European Championship competition.

Behind Peleteiro’s figure, his security and his personality, there is hard work. Lopez is in charge Manage your emotions, work on your mind and stay calm like the most popular Spanish athlete and that, of course, it receives more negative stimuli from outside. The purpose of their long conversations before important dates is to find answers to their moods and find a solution. But how to do that? How is it possible to control the head of a social phenomenon like Peleteiro, who goes beyond the boundaries of sport and who, despite his apparent external security, suffers from weaknesses like any other ordinary person? And also curious, where?

To achieve peace of mind, there is nothing better than seeking a calm environment. The first secret of Peleteiro’s success is the absence of noise, an interconnected world and cameras. Ana defines it as “her sanctuary.”. Just a few days ago, a few hours before boarding a plane to Rome, a Galician woman met Rebeca for lunch and they both went to corner of the Guadalajara mountains near the coach’s own house, surrounded by nature and in a privileged environment that moves to the rhythm of the splashing water of a small waterfall. There, in what the jumper describes as a “sanctuary of peace and energy,” they performed an exercise that they both said was “very powerful.”

Before we dive in: why in the lap of nature? “Shown, that Spending time in nature increases happinessconcentration and cognitive development, reduces anxiety and, above all, favors the imagination“Rebeka, an expert in neurolinguistics, a field that studies the brain mechanisms that promote cognition and understanding, tells us. “With imagination you can provoke emotional states in your body and it can transport you to a past moment when you felt powerful.” Because that is the purpose of Rebeca’s work and how “indispensable” it has become for Peleteiro: to get the body in a good mood before the stress of competition. “If your own thoughts are more positive and connected to moments when you achieved great things, it’s easier to walk away thinking that everything will be fine and that you can do it. If you’re anxious, stressed, and constantly working, it’s easier for your own limitations to surface.”

It’s in those intimate moments, when it’s just Ana, her coach and the search for positivity, that Rebeca’s real work happens: “If you have a limiting belief that you think things will be bad for you in Rome, Let’s pull the thread and see what this opinion is based on.“, explains the specialist: “I would say: “And if you do the wrong thing in Rome, what will happen?” I’m sure nothing will happen.” “Well, if I do poorly in Rome, my teammates will laugh at me, think I’m useless, or reject me.”. There we find the true root of this fear.”

To turn the situation around Rebeca plays with Peleteiro’s mind in search of a force that makes her think that instead of the supposed “I’m going to do something wrong” that hasn’t happened yet, she shifts to thinking positively because she’s been successful before. “We look back at the moment when he felt he was able to do what he wanted in Rome.“. The visualization begins in the silence of the mountains.

Although last year’s World Indoor Championships medalist has a long list of great days to look forward to, exercise doesn’t have to be sport-related: “If we want safety, she can feel completely safe demonstrating a science project or making a potato omelet . The point is to look for a memory where you have a lot of credibility. Or, if you need some courage, you can go back to when you faced the boss a thousand years ago. Or do you need credentials and let’s fast forward to the day I arrived at the club and felt great. It doesn’t matter if the goal is to convey that sensation to your body.”

“Although people think I’m crazy and don’t care about all these things, I also have a zen side where I try to find peace of mind.“, Relevo reveals to the student of multiple champion Ivan Pedroso about his preparation secret, and the coach admits the advantages of doing it just before the trip, “to get very fresh visualizations.”

Rebeca’s work became something “necessary” for Peleteiro before each championship, and so it was in the race for European gold in Rome: “My connection with her is very important. It makes me connect with myself, visualize what goals I want, find myself… Coaching will always be a part of me, like going to the physiotherapist, dentist or optometrist.”