Page 1/5 Artikel News Nr.8 24.02.2005
THE INTERVIEW: Markus Rogan talks about his greatest fears & anti-fear strategies
He was the sporting shooting star of 2004: Markus Rogan, 22 years young. Not only did swimming star Rogan win two silver medals at the summer Olympic Games, but a great deal of additional popularity amongst non-fans too: Immediately after he taking second place to Aaron Peirsol in the 200 metre backstroke competition, the American was disqualified on account of an alleged error made when turning. Rogan was the winner for a short time. However, he himself protested against the reverse placement of his friend and rival: "Everything has certainly been carried out correctly." Eventually, the placement was reversed again; Rogan received silver and a worldwide hymn of praise. This was also a deciding factor in his being elected the Austrian "Sportsman of the Year" in the autumn.
The 195 cm tall model athlete is more than "just" a top sportsman. Contributing to his great popularity is the ease with which he speaks about his recipe for success: "It's necessary to build up vulnerability, otherwise you've already lost. I have accepted my fear of failure - that was an enormous confession." There is another reason for Markus Rogan, via an interview with editor-in-chief Peter Pelinka, to mark the beginning of the NEWS series on dealing productively with fear: He is very close to the authors of the new book on the subject of fear "Seelenfraß" (Überreuter publishing company): The psycho therapist and NEWS columnist, Margot Schmitz, is his mother. And the journalist Michael Schmitz Rogan is his step-father and manager.
NEWS:Markus Rogan, you've just come from the doctor and have found out that the abscess by your ear is not a merely superficial affliction, but something that you'll be dealing with for a longer period of time. Are you afraid for your health, and for your sporting career?
Rogan:Of course, a little bit. But, at the same time I'm aware that this injury is something that would hardly concern a normal person and that I'm able to get on with life. Sure, this little thing could be the deciding factor in gold, silver and bronze; it could be a kind of biological spoke in the wheel. There is sand in the works - to be more exact: sand in the brain. I'm helpless in the face of this and that makes me afraid.
Fear, a familiar feeling?
I know it, but it seldom results from physical reasons: I have just twisted my ankle a few times; I've often had a cold. What's worse is the leaden tiredness when I come to training at six o'clock in the morning. I sense a physical weakness, and then the fear arises of not being able to perform, but I can also actively fight against this - mentally and with other training methods.
Arguably more difficult to fight against are the physical fears, which only partially develop rationally. To give an example: Do you sometimes develop a primal fear that your career could now come to an end, whilst you're part of the world elite?
The thought of a career end doesn't cause any primal fear. If my doctor had said to me, Mr Rogan, stop swimming or else you won't survive the next year, that would initially be a shock, but I don't only define myself in terms of my career as a swimmer. Its end wouldn't cause me to crash.
You're just 22, at this age things are taken more easily than in the second part of life. How do you reflect on this extremely fast ascent to Sportsman of the Year, to a kind of national hero? Three years ago, hardly anyone knew you outside the small Austrian swimming scene.
In the year 2000, I thought for the first time that I can manage to climb to the top. At the Olympic Games in Sydney. In my imagination, I saw myself appearing with the business card Markus Rogan / Champion. But that then went well and truly down the drain, I was only 27th. That was initially bitter for me, but then I became aware that it was a beneficial defeat for me. I recognised: Ambition alone is not enough. And a wild imagination least of all. Success demands hard work, stamina, the ability to get over defeats, to learn from them. To not want to suppress the fear of failing at both goals that you have set for yourself and the public's expectations. An effective fear management is also necessary for success. It became clear to me: I have to approach this more seriously or not at all, to take things step by step and also cope with set-backs. This then worked: In 2001, I became deputy world champion; this also counts in Austria where it is seen as a title. But the hype wasn't yet there as swimming isn't popular enough in Austria. In 2002, I was accepted as a good sportsman - but without the right winning potential. I thought I was a somebody when I was recognised on the street twice in one month. In 2003, there then came a real set-back with the illness, the tumour below the ear. My mother told me in no uncertain terms how dangerous that was; I could have had permanent damage, I could have been turned into an invalid from one day to the next.
A real cut.
At the time I didn't want to accept how serious the situation was. I suppressed my fear, laughed about it, but soon recognised that I was swimming badly because of it. Once the 2003 world championship was finished, it became clear to me: I must fully concentrate on the Olympics and see the unique opportunity to concentrate on preparing myself for the Olympic Games with the goal of doing well.
