Almost religiously, I step away from everything and close my eyes and breathe deeply for a few moments. It helps solidify my focus and aligns everything in my body to take care of the task at hand - which is winning, of course.

Obviously, the competitor in you, you want to be in the top three every time in the pool.

The swimming community is really conservative. I don't know why, because we're in no clothing whatsoever.

If you want me to swim fast, you have to let me enjoy my life.

I don't underestimate the power of mental preparation throughout all of my training. I'm in a much better state of mind about competition.

I'm a firm believer in slowing down to improve my state of mind when I'm training, and yoga and meditation have been paramount to my success in this way.

Malfunctions are inevitable. It's important to push through them during practice - versus stopping to fix and restart - so that you're prepared for one mid-competition.