Kelly Sotherton was positive that she would win Gold
British heptathlete Kelly Sotherton had an unswerving belief in herself and her ability to win gold in Beijing, so much so that she was prepared to prove it under the most testing conditions – a polygraph test.
Wired to a polygraph machine
The new campaign is based on the understanding that Kelly is an athlete with ultimate self-belief. To test this she is interviewed on camera by Dr Hilary Witchel, a leading Psycho-Physiologist from Bristol University, while wired to a polygraph machine. The aim is to test whether Kelly’s stated beliefs about her ability and prospects of success in Beijing match her physiological responses. Dr Witchel runs Kelly through a series of leading and testing questions to detect how in sync her body and mind actually are. The questions surround her performance in Beijing and include ‘out of the seven events is javelin your weakest?’ and ‘do you ever hope one of your opponents chokes?’
When asked ‘will you win gold?’ Kelly firmly replies ‘Yes, I will win gold in Beijing’. The results of the polygraph show that her confidence is absolute. Visit http://www.nike.com/nikelab/site.html?en_GB#/video/athlete-kelly-sotherton2 to see the full interview, all available on Kelly’s dedicated page.
It started with success in Athens
Following Kelly’s breakthrough in Athens where she made it into the world top three and won a bronze Olympic medal, she was looking to better that performance with a gold medal in Beijing followed by retirement from the sport.
Continuing the dream…
However, that resounding self belief seems to be something that the majority of high level sport professionals have which can give them that competitive edge. The result was that Kelly Sotherton finished 5th overall and failed to achieve the result she wanted. Her answer is to cancel her retirement and continue with the dream of gold.
In my opinion this shows a stronger self believe and drive than the video shows. A true athlete is the person who can be a winner even in the face of defeat. I would offer Kelly Sotherton all the luck in the world, but I think she will tell you herself that luck has nothing to do with it!
Have a look at the nikelab.com website were you will find a whole string of athletes being interviewed from a range of sports. It does make for fascinating watching and gives you a real insight into some of our heroes.
