Charli Hawkins is a track and field athlete who has competed in the Olympics, specializing in the Heptathlon. Recently, she took a break from her intense training routine to relax in Maui, sharing stunning beach photos on Instagram with the caption, “Off-Season at the Four Seasons🌴🌺☀️ @fsmaui.” Despite the fun, Hawkins still prioritizes her wellness and training mindset. In an interview with the NCAA, she emphasized the importance of mental preparation in her sport, stating, “There’s nothing special I need to do to train for the Olympics because I’ve been doing it every day for the last 20 years.” Hawkins also shares tips on Instagram, like slowing down gradually during running intervals to avoid injury. Supported by family and friends, and driven by her dedication to drills and safety, Hawkins continues to sharpen her skills and stay focused on her goals.
1. She Focuses Her Mind
In an interview with NCAA, Hawkins talked about the importance of a strong mind. "It's been 20 years since I officially started track & field and so I've been working out for decades for this," Hawkins said. "There's nothing special or nothing different that I need to do to train for the Olympics because I've been doing it every day for the last 20 years. What we need to do is get our mind ready and get everything sharpened so we can go in and just execute. We don't have to worry and hope on this miracle thing that happens. We can look at what we know we can do, and we can execute on it. We're just trying to be really intentional, so we go and have the best Olympic Games possible."
2. She Stops Slowly
Hawkins shares a lot of her tips for running on Instagram. In this post, she talked about the importance of stopping slowly. “When doing running intervals, stop S L O W L Y. ✨Stopping as fast as possible can cause a lot of issues: shin splints, knee pain, muscle strain, accidents, and body breakdown. Instead, stop with good form, just as you run with good form, slowly decreasing your pace. It might seem simple, but it will make a huge difference in the long run!”
3. She Has Support
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Hawkins is lucky to have a lot of supportive people in her life. "I have a huge group of friends and family that are coming to support me, and I cannot wait to see all of them," Hawkins said to NCAA. "Honestly, they've got my back. Whether the outcome is good or the outcome is bad, they're just there with me and at the end of the day I'm just proud of that. No amount of medals could top it and no amount of disappointment could take it away. I'm grateful for the people that are in my corner and the relationships that I have, the community I've built. I'm so excited. I've gotten a lot of direct messages of people saying they're coming to see me. A lot of Aggies actually are excited to come and watch. I can't wait to share all of that with everybody and I'm really excited just take it all in."
4. She Does Drills
Hawkins makes sure to do drills. She talked about the importance of them in the caption of this Instagram post. “Drills are such a huge part of my life, because they changed my life. They made me an Olympian. ✨Every day I studied and practiced good positions and mechanics, I got one day better. I was able to stack those days together long enough to make the team. That’s all that our goals are about. Stacking the work, and seeing the results! Go get it! ❤️Do you agree?”
5. She’s Safe
Hawkins talked about her practice routine for the Olympics to NCAA. She says that she makes sure to do exercises that are safe. "We've been working hard in the weight room and on our physical fitness, but we haven't been doing a ton of technical stuff because as a heptathlete, we do so many things that are quite dangerous. You also have to make sure that you're listening to your body. I never want to do a hurdles practice when my mental faculties are not the sharpest they could be."
