Document Type : other
Authors
1
Department of Psychology, kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, School of Social and Cultural Sciences, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran
4
Division of Research and Assessment, Department of Curriculum Development & Instruction Methods, Faculty of Psychology & Education, University of Tehran, Tehran. Iran.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the psychological strategies employed by Iranian Olympic medalists to achieve performance excellence.
Given the nature of the research, a qualitative approach with thematic analysis was adopted. The target population included Iranian Olympic medalist athletes, their coaches, and associated sports psychologists. Data were collected through 12 semi-structured field interviews and 8 document-based interviews from written sources. After transcription, the total dataset comprised 116,693 words, which were analyzed in MAXQDA following Braun and Clarke’s six-step procedure (2006).
Through repeated reading and familiarization with the data, 555 meaningful units related to psychological strategies were identified. Subsequently, through an iterative process of refining and clustering codes and subthemes, the initial codes were organized into 25 subthemes under 5 main themes. The five main themes and their subthemes of psychological strategies were: 1.Learning (awareness and experience, learning and training, modeling); 2. Effective application of mental skills (self-talk, imagery and mental rehearsal, routines, focus and refocusing); 3.Lifestyle integration (lifestyle congruence, professional lifestyle, multidimensionality); 4. Optimal preparation (technical and physical training and preparation, mental preparation); and, 5. Self-regulation, which included a broad range of subcategories such as: stress and anxiety management, negative thought management, discipline, goal-setting and planning, motivational regulation, problem-solving and decision-making, attention to detail, maintaining focus and attentional control, emotion regulation, continuous evaluation and analysis, effective prioritization and handling distractions, managing obstacles and coping with challenges and discouragements, and agentic help-seeking.
The findings suggest that the psychological strategies of Iranian Olympic medalists are not isolated techniques but an integrated and dynamic network that interweaves cognitive, physical, emotional, and social dimensions. These insights highlight the unique cultural and contextual aspects of elite performance in Iran and provide practical implications for designing sport psychology interventions and preparation programs for high-performance athletes.
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