

Nearly every time the Olympics are on and the cameras catch an athlete training or doing their warm-ups, they have on headphones. These athletes are about to take part in one of the biggest moments of their career and the music they are listening to is a huge part of it. I’ve always wondered what type of music would be perfect for such a moment, so I chatted with some of Team USA’s medal winners who are currently at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro about what songs are essential on their pump-up playlists.

I’ve listed the songs shared by Olympic silver medalists Sam Dorman, Michael Hixon, Connor Jaeger, and Josh Prenot below, and at the bottom is a curated Spotify playlist. You may not be able to win a silver medal at the Olympics, but at least you can pretend like you are just about to. Keep checking back and follow the Spotify list, as it will be updated and added to throughout the Olympics as I get the chance to speak with others.

Sam Dorman – Silver Medalist in Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard

Sam’s playlist essentials:

DR. FRESCH X BIJOU – “HELLO”

DR. FRESCH – “Gangsta Gangsta”

Avicii – “Broken Arrows”

Michael Hixon – Silver Medalist in Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard

Michael’s playlist essentials:

J. Cole – “G.O.M.D.”

Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers”

J. Cole – “Crooked Smile”

G-Eazy – “Of All Things”

G-Eazy – “Calm Down”

Kid Ink – “Hell & Back”

Big K.R.I.T. – “Mt. Olympus”

Brother Ali – “Not a Day Goes By”

Brother Ali – “Devil’s Arms”

Pharoahe Monch – “Desire”

The Weeknd – “King of the Fall”

ScHoolboy Q – “Hell Of A Night”

Kavinsky ft. The Weeknd – “Odd Look”

Lil Wayne – “Rich As Fuck”

J. Cole – “No Role Modelz”

J. Cole – “Lights Please”

Joey Bada$$ – “World Domination”

Lil Wayne – “Drop the World”

The Roots – “The Seed (2.0)”

ProbCause ft. Chance the Rapper – “Lsd”

Brother Ali – “Truth Is”

Connor Jaeger – Silver Medalist in Men’s 1500m freestyle

Connor’s playlist essentials:

Lil Wayne – “A Milli”

2Pac – “Runnin'”

Birdman and Lil Wayne – “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy”

DMX – “Party Up”

Mickey Avalon – “Roll Up Your Sleeves”

My Chemical Romance – “Helena”

BØRNS – “10,000 Emrald Pools”



Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Around The World”

Josh Prenot – Silver Medalist in Men’s 200m Breaststroke

Josh’s playlist essentials:

M.O.P. – “Ante Up”

Kendrick Lamar – “Rigamortus”

Childish Gambino – “Arrangement”

Todd Terje – “Inspector Norse”

Here’s the Spotify playlist:

**Any songs not available on Spotify are linked to SoundCloud above

