The Effortless Swimming Podcast #323 : Olympic Gold, 110km In A Week & Why You Should Never Stop Learning with Sharon Van Rouwendaal
Mar 6, 2024
Sharon Van Rouwendaal, an Olympic gold medalist and world champion in open water swimming, opens up about her impressive training, including a grueling 110km week. She shares insights on building mental toughness, adapting from pool to open water, and overcoming injuries. Sharon also discusses her coaching journey, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and simplicity in technique. With an eye on future competitions, she reflects on the constant pursuit of learning and improvement, both as an athlete and a coach.
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Tough Coaching Built Lasting Mental Edge
- Tough early coaching taught Sharon mental resilience through provocation and challenge.
- That mental toughness later let her thrive in a calmer, more technical German training environment.
Open Water Racing Is Deeply Tactical
- Open-water racing success depends on tactical positioning, drafting and opponent selection.
- Sharon only truly learned these subtleties years after her Olympic win.
Switching Strokes To Chase Open Water
- Sharon described switching from backstroke to freestyle and increasing training volume to convert to a 10k specialist.
- The change cost her pool speed and contributed to shoulder issues later on.