Olympic skier Eileen Gu says staying at the top is harder than winning

Eileen Gu said she has an "alter ego" when she competes.

Hector Vivas/Hector Vivas Eileen Gu said she has one simple mantra that helps keep her from getting complacent.

Moreover, when training, she said she focuses only on what needs improvement.

"For me, I see only my mistakes when I'm training.

I can never do anything right," Gu said.

Eileen Gu , the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history, said she switches into "contest mode" when she competes.

Speaking to Jay Shetty on Monday's episode of the "On Purpose" podcast, Gu said she has a mantra that helps keep her performing at the highest level.

"I train like I've never won, and I compete like I've never lost," Gu, 22, said.

"That's important because A, I find it's difficult to win, but it's way harder to stay there." Gu made her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and most recently competed at the Milano Cortina Winter Games .

In all, she has won three gold and three silver Olympic medals.

She said her mantra also helps sustain her drive.

"The second thing is it keeps you hungry, and that's what allows you to perform over time," Gu said.

"The third thing is in order to be a winner , you have to have this insatiable, almost obsessive, religious, just all-in mentality when you compete," Gu continued.

"But because it is so intense, you cannot sustain it always because that's what creates really dangerous egos." Being overconfident or complacent can also get in the way of the self-criticism needed to train well.