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The conviction with which Osmar Olvera executes each of his dives, even in the most tense moments, seems like an innate ability that few athletes boast; however, in reality it is the result of training in a transcendental area that still needs to be given more value in Mexico: psychology in sports.

Mental strength is also trained like any other technical aspect of a discipline. Osmar gives a lot of importance to mental health and now he can be a turning point in the country to make visible the relevance of this area.said Laura Martinez, a sports psychologist who works with the two-time Olympic medalist.

Olvera made history at Paris 2024 by becoming the second Mexican diver to win two medals at a summer event after winning, together with Juan Celaya, silver in the synchronized diving event from the three-meter springboard and bronze in the individual competition.

In each event he showed such confidence that he was able to stalk the representatives of China, the top power in this discipline. Now, upon returning from Paris, Olvera attended a press conference accompanied by psychologist Martínez, as a demonstration of the value he placed on mental work.

–Could we say that Osmar has a mental strength superior to that of other athletes?

–I couldn’t say if he has a superior ability to others, but the strength he has today is something he has worked very hard on. He is a very disciplined athlete, consistent in every sense. The ability he has developed is a mental strength through all his daily work.

Martinez indicated that it is not about having a winner’s mentalitya term that has become popular in sports media, but rather about setting short, medium and long-term goals, is understanding that it is a process and, above all, that to achieve these goals it is essential to train with dedication both in the psychological area and in the physical and technical areas.

Episodes of an athlete who lets himself get carried away by nervousness at the very key moment of a competition are often seen in almost every tournament. Martínez pointed out that although several athletes work with a sports psychologist, they often do not follow the instructions, do not trust the specialist or, in the worst of cases, have turned to people who lack the appropriate knowledge.

The importance of mental health is given to each of the athletes. If I give it a value of one percent and to reach 100 I am just that percentage short, then I am not completely prepared. That is why it is important that they put what is asked of them to the test, that they work with us and go to sports psychologists, it is not the same as a clinical psychologist.he explained.

Breaking stigmas

The American multi-Olympic medalist swimmer Michael Phelps was one of the first to speak about the importance of mental health for athletes. The pressure in high performance is often greater than in other areas, which is why in the last two decades sports psychology has begun to gain greater importance.

Now, Olvera is one of the few in Mexico who usually speaks openly about the importance of the daily work he does in that area as part of his training to get on the podium.

Although Martínez acknowledged that Mexico still needs a lot of work to promote the value of sports psychology, steps have been taken to make visible how important it can be in terms of results.

We are still far from the way sports psychology is handled, but we have made progress. Before, someone was questioned when they went to the psychologist, today we know that mental health is basic, there is more openness. Now it is important that we integrate as a multidisciplinary team. Osmar can be a turning point to give greater relevance to the area.he noted.

Both the diver and the specialist are already looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where they know they will face greater challenges after their feat in Paris.

One thing is the expectations that surround Osmar and another thing is the objectives he has. Surely they will change from those he had in Paris, we will do the breakdown to work towards the goals he has.the psychologist concluded.