From Wimbledon to The Ashes, the Tour de France and the World Athletics Championships, it’s been another great summer of British sporting success. But which personality traits make the difference between the good and the great in the sporting world? Here at PersonaBubble we tried to find out… 
Low Anxiety
Elite athletes tend to have lower scores on anxiety scales than average performers, making them more resilient, emotionally stable, and better at remaining calm in stressful situations. Where amateur sportsmen and women may buckle under the pressure of competition, those at the top of their game use their emotional stability to stay cool, calm and collected in those crucial moments. In the first test of this Ashes series, James Anderson held his nerve when Australia were only 15 runs away from stealing victory to take that all important tenth wicket, sealing England’s win.
Mental Toughness
Bouncing back from losing three championship points in the third set to win the 2013 Wimbledon Final, the “mental toughness” shown by Andy Murray is distinctive amongst elite performers, who maintain a single-minded focus in the face of adversity. Indeed, Murray himself described the last game as, mentally, the toughest game he had ever faced. The psychological edge that mentally tough performers have over their opponents is a key ingredient in separating those who attain the highest levels of sporting achievement.
Perfectionism
To be the best you have to strive for the best, and perfectionism is all about setting personally demanding standards. When the smallest of margins can make the difference between success and failure, discipline and a strong drive to succeed are crucial. Dave Brailsford, head of Team Sky and performance director of British Cycling, talks about the “aggregation of marginal gains” and the large impact that small changes have on performance. This approach helped Chris Froome triumph in the Tour de France and ensured Olympic success for the Team GB cyclists at London 2012.
Self-belief
Losing is an inevitable part of any sporting career. Elite sports performers have a strong sense of self-belief, undiminished by setbacks they may face along the road to success. Athletes themselves agree that an unshakeable belief in the ability to achieve competition goals is a key attribute of any sports performer. The ability to perform is not enough; it’s the self-belief in your ability to perform and succeed that is critical. Amateur performers may doubt their ability after losing. Elite performers use these losses as motivation, their belief in their abilities unbroken.
In Summary
Defining what makes a champion is no easy feat, but the personality traits and characteristics considered here can be easily spotted in many of the sporting greats. Although there will always be differences amongst elite performers, it’s clear that there are a few stand-out personality characteristics that can determine success. Yes, superior skills and training hard are vital, but amongst the elite it’s the mind that is the winner.
