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Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the athlete who dived to win the 400m race at the Rio Olympics
Shaunae Miller-Uibo is from Bahamas.. She was queried whether she did deep diving as she was from Bahamas.
The reply was, "No. I donot. I'd like to try it."
The journalist fired another salvo at her.
"But you did dive for the finish line to win Gold in Rio."
And she responded, "No. I haven't dived in Bahamas. But I did in Rio and it helped me secure Gold."
In the 2024 Paris Olympics, she competed in the women's 400m. She was pregnant. She was in her second trimester. She did the maximum she could. She did not win any medal. She was unable to get through the initial heats as she was struggling with a recurring hamstring/leg injury. But she had her own personal goals. She went out to achieve them. She said she had fun competing with the ladies.
She parried two questions put to her.
1. You've been competing at the highest level for a long time. You longevity is insane, winning bak to back Olympic Golds.
2. What's more difficult, winning for the first time or defending it later.
"Definitely defending it. On the first occasion you've that underdog feeling where it's just keeping at it. There is an exciting thrill. The second time, you are defending it. Everyone is coming and chasing you. It means you have to work extra hard. You've to put in a lot more work. You know very well you have to give off your absolute best to defend your title as you go out."
"When I was a little girl, I had dreams I wanted to accomplish."
Getting that taste of victory in Rio just gave me a sense of, "Hey, we can do even more."
I was already holding the title. I knew everyone wanted it. It had put me on the edge. I had the mindset, "Okay, let them come and chase it and take it away."
In Tokyo, the plan was to try and go for the world record. Though I failed there, I was able to defend the title from Rio through my hardwork. It was resilience on my part. It was because I had always been very competitive and because I had always trained at the highest level.
"I always try to tell myself not to look at one particular competitor and pin myself against her. I always say to myself it's an eight lane track. There are seven other people who want the same thing I want. Someone can have the best race of their life in that one moment.
You have to make sure you are focussing on your lane. You've to hope that you'd come out with a win. You should never be distracted by the other competitors."
"Mental preparation plays the biggest role in sports."
It's a lesson for life anywhere Shaunae Miller-Uibo conveys here.
Times of India 16 October 2026
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