Here Are Some Of The Songs Olympic Athletes Use To Get Pumped Up Before Competing

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At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Michael Phelps set the internet aflame thanks to the angry face he made while listening to music before the 200m butterfly semifinal while rival Chad le Clos warmed up for the race just a few feet away. We later learned the instantly memeable moment was made possible by a playlist featuring songs by Eminem and Young Jeezy, which got him pumped enough to qualify for the final where he ultimately took home the gold medal.

It should come as no surprise that plenty of Olympians listen to music to amp themselves up before their events, and Time sat down with a number of athletes at this year’s Games to see what they’re pumping through their headphones before their competitions.

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Here’s a full list of their tunes of choice:

Freestyler skier Aaron Blunk: “Nine Piece”- Lil Wayne ft. Rick Ross

Extremely Relatable snowboarder Chloe Kim: Rihanna

Alpine skier Jacquline Wiles: Rap and hip-hop

Figure skater Karen Chen: “Look What You Made Me Do” -Taylor Swift

Freestyler skier Gus Kenworthy: “Cut To The Feeling” -Carley Rae Jepsen

Freestyler skier Devin Logan: “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” -DMX

Freestyler skier Mac Bohonnon: Old-school classic rock

Freestyler skier and patriot Maggie Voison: “Party in the USA” -Miley Cyrus

Freestyler skier McRae Williams: “Shook Ones” (presumably Part II) -Mobb Deep

Hockey player Troy Terry: Fucking Nickelback for some reason

Alpine skier Ted Ligety: Nothing -No one

Freestyler Skier Nick Goepper: “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That” -Cypress Hill

Hockey player Alex Rigsby: “Pursuit of Happiness (Remix) – Steve Aoki

Biathlete Susan Dunklee: “Ordinary Day” -Great Big Sea

Skeleton racer (skeletor?) Matt Antoine: 90s alternative music

Speedskater Brittany Bowe: EDM

Hockey player Brianna Decker: Nothing before the game, but Cindy Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”

Sadly, Time wasn’t able to get figure skater and national treasure Adam Rippon to sit down with them, but I like to think he’d go with something by a rapper who talks about Xanax a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

Connor Toole avatar and headshot for BroBible
Connor Toole is the Deputy Editor at BroBible and a Boston College graduate currently based in New England. He has spent close to 15 years working for multiple online outlets covering sports, pop culture, weird news, men's lifestyle, and food and drink.
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