THERESE ALSHAMMAR IS A FORMER PROFESSIONAL SWIMMER WHO HAS WON THREE OLYMPIC MEDALS AND 75 CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS IN TOTAL. READ ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATES HER.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST MOTIVATION RIGHT NOW?
I’m brought up in competitive swimming so most things I do reflect my strong motivation in always trying to improve. As long as my motivation will result in any good, I’m happy to keep striving for improvement.
I’m motivated by different things in life and I consciously try to steer my motivation and focus towards things that bring me and other people value. For example my main focus is to spend time with my family and strengthen the relationship by spending quantity time with my kids. In contrast to quality time - a saying I heard a lot when I had kids and early saw through. Kids don’t care about quality, they need quantity.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE WATER WAS YOUR ELEMENT?
I think my parents noticed it first. They saw how happy I was after swimming and helped me to spend more time in the water. So for me it was natural. Water has been a part of my life almost everyday since I was 4-5 years old.
The feelings of joy and presence I have when swimming and finding my rhythm and flow is bliss and to me I often feel like this is the closest feeling one can have to flying.
YOU HAVE TAKEN 72 CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS, WHAT TOOK YOU THERE?
Good guidance, the ability to strive for improvement, finding good performance environments, keeping my focus, handling pressure and expectations as well as failures and maybe also not being afraid to fail. For example I changed the way I started when I was 30+ and most people thought I was crazy and a fool for continuing when I was past my prime. I had both good and bad attempts in changing the start but after a few years time I was able to note the fastest start time ever and subsequently win the 50 freestyle at the world championships 2011 and thus becoming the oldest female to ever win a world championship title. Not many people came up to me a year ahead of that saying they believed in me as I had gone past my prime and wasn’t the top ranked swimmer anymore. So to put all above in one sentence: my ability to believe in myself, dream big and find the right people to help me reach my goals.
WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD SECONDS BEFORE AN OLYMPIC GAME?
Hopefully my mind is blank. The focus and energy is on being fully present and executing the things I’ve practiced a thousand times over. Competition is just an opportunity to show what you’ve done in practice. But nerves and emotions can come into play so I like reminding myself and others of the statement above!
YOU'RE THE DAUGHTER OF A SWIMMER, HOW MUCH DID THAT AFFECT YOU IN YOUR CAREER?
A lot. My mother was my first swimming teacher and put me and my friends in a group that she taught. Also she was a close role model and facilitator to show that it’s very possible and within reach to swim at the Olympic Games and win international medals. It’s very important to have role models and the best way to learn is to copy. I often say it’s much easier following a path and road that’s there, then finding a completely new one.
With that said, I love finding new ways of doing things and being different but in sports, go visit and train with someone who’s done or doing what you dream of! You will be inspired, hopefully learn fast and also set yourself up for both success and failure!
WHAT IS IN YOUR PIPELINE?
Nature friendly cleaning products made in small batches in Sweden that I’ve created with a friend, Cleane.se.
Also I do public speaking on motivation, giving insight into how I worked on a high level for a long time. The tricks and truths I learned and the importance of a performance environment and how we all contribute to it.
Also a new podcast is coming out very soon. I'm always trying to help kids learn how to swim and share my love for sports. 