Athletes look inward, outward and upward for strength

BEIJING (Reuters) - From tough guys to God and hip hop to gospel, many of the world's most highly trained athletes turn to a strange mix of strategies in their final preparations for the battle of their lives.

When Olympic athletes are haunted by the ghosts of past failures or carry the aspirations of an entire nation on their shoulders, they often seek private rituals, thoughts and inspiration to focus or clear their minds.

"I never think about my opponent," said Suleiman Wanjau Bilali, a 48-kilogramme boxer from Kenya. "I will think about tough guys like (Arnold) Schwarzenegger."

Visions of the Terminator might work to bring out the hidden warrior in a violent sport like boxing but could be dangerous in another discipline.

"We need to be calm and peaceful," said Anastassiya Bannova, a Kazakh archer. "I think about my mother and grandparents."

In an age when aerospace engineers are hired to analyze a swimmer's stroke or sprinter's arm pumping, a simple pre-competition routine may bring an inner calm and confidence.

"I always wanted a fresh clean uniform for everyday that I ran," said American sprinter Carl Lewis, who went through plenty on his way to winning nine Olympic gold medals.

"I would always lay the uniform down the night before in the order that I would put it on, that was my ritual."

Of course, Lewis would probably still be one of America's sporting greats if he had worn smelly, crumpled gym shorts, but his habits also removed tiny distractions from his preparations.

"I was wearing USA on my chest and I wanted to look perfect every time," he said.

Coaches of athletes know the importance of psychology, while instilling a commitment to the physical training.

"I would never discourage (superstitions), but do not encourage it either," said Clive Woodward, the coach of England's 2003 rugby World Cup-winning team.

"If as an athlete you think you've missed something, or you've cut a corner, or you've not quite done something then you are going in psychologically weak," said Woodward.

Nothing beats training but every little thing counts.

Each member of the Chinese men's gymnastics team wore a thin red string from a temple on his wrist for luck when they struck gold in the team competition on Tuesday.

The ultimate in inner strength may come from above.

"I put everything in the hands of the Lord," said Tricia Flores, a long jumper from Belize.

"I listen to Gospel music whenever I can to refresh my mind and relax," she said.

By contrast, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, still on course to win a record eight gold medals in Beijing, is known to listen to hip hop music on his headphones as he walks out for each race.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)