The Life Lessons of Olympic Slalom Paddler Evy Leibfarth

Slalom has taught two-time Olympian Evy Leibfarth about far more than just how to navigate turbulent water. The 22-year-old athlete, who represented the United States at the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games, has learned plenty about pressure, perseverance, and staying true to herself. Her journey offers insight into what it takes to compete at the Olympic level while challenging expectations about what an Olympian should look like.

“At my first Olympics, I didn’t have a lot of experience racing at that level. I was so scared of messing up and disappointing people. My mindset was focused on fear,” Leibfarth says.

But in between her first and second Olympics, Leibfarth grew not just as an athlete, but as a human being, in large part thanks to working with a sports psychologist, who helped her reframe pressure as something positive rather than something threatening.

“For my second Olympics, I went in with a much more positive mindset,” she says. “I told myself how exciting it was to experience all that pressure. How cool it is that I get to feel this energy around me and that so many people believe in me.”

One thing that helped Leibfarth was remembering why she got into the sport in the first place. “When it comes down to it, I’m not paddling to win, I’m paddling because I love it,” Leibfarth says. “The struggles and hardships you go through in slalom are just as important as the results.”

The few minutes before a slalom run are especially emotionally intense, so Leibfarth developed her own ritual to enter the start gate with confidence.

“Ten seconds before my run, I take a deep breath and smile — my dad always tells me to do that.”

Positive self-talk also fills Leibfarth with assurance and confidence. “I talk to myself out loud in the start gate: ‘I want to win this and I can.’ ‘How lucky am I to be here?’”

Ultimately, Leibfarth, who earned a bronze medal in the C1 category at her second Olympics, realized, “It doesn’t matter how I do as long as I give it my all and I’m paddling like me. Learning to deal with pressure is one of the hardest things paddlers have to do. Goals are great, but expectations are hard.”

Our challenges might not be on an Olympic scale, but they are important to us — and all of us can use Leibfarth’s journey as an example as we navigate our everyday lives.

Additionally, Leibfarth has always embraced her femininity, even though slalom is a traditionally male-dominated sport. She remembers being told she didn’t take the sport seriously because of how she presented herself.

“Growing up, people told me I wouldn’t succeed because I wore makeup and dresses to sessions,” she says. But she believed that “you don’t have to change yourself to be a professional athlete.”

Her experience resonates deeply with me. I am a girl who loves the color pink, and always needs a cute outfit to feel confident for whatever I do. I am also a 16-year-old canoe slalom athlete. Entering a race is scary, but looking down at my pink boat, bedazzled helmet, and pink life jacket is a source of joy and reassurance that I can do hard things while looking fabulous.

Leibfarth’s influence has expanded beyond athletes like me and into the wider world of beauty. Last Olympics, Leibfarth was part of Sephora’s campaign focused on connecting beauty and sport. By doing so, she helped challenge the outdated idea that you can’t express your personal sense of style while also being competitive.

“You can go win a race with glitter on your face and still be strong,” Leibfarth says.

Ultimately, for Leibfarth, success comes back to perspective. While she has always set ambitious goals, she hopes the legacy she leaves in the slalom community is about more than results.

“I want people to remember that although I took sports very seriously, I always had fun,” she says. “Having fun is the most important thing.”

That mindset may be the most important lesson the river has taught her.