I thought this was an interesting parallel to the value of preparation and mental game techniques in poker:

Ole Einar Bjørndalen took his 7th Olympic gold in biathlon today, age 40. He was asked to be the opening ceremony flag bearer for the Norwegians (as an honor, this being Bjørndalen's last Olympic games), but he politely declined. The reason? He did not want the long ceremony to reduce his chances of winning today's event. 

He said in an interview that declining was very egotistical, but these were his final Olympic games after all, and he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks the day before an event (tiring himself out, or getting a cold from being outside for so long, etc).

I found this inspirational. Even at 40 years old, Bjørndalen is totally committed to his sport, beating competitors not much more than half his age. He didn't go to Sochi just to finish his career in style, he went there to win. I got strong associations to Bassham's With Winning in Mind (which I recommend). I' be surprised if Bjørndalen hasn't read it more than once.