Olympics 2012: The importance of sport psychology

BBC Sport pundit and journalist Matthew Syed explains how important psychology among athletes is in the battle between success and failure.

Each and every competitor has their own routine, superstition and ritual before their sport, which can make a massive difference in their attempt to win gold.

Can you compete under pressure? Take the BBC Lab UK test. Try it against the clock and an opponent and get psychological training from Michael Johnson.

Available to UK users only.

  • Olympics