There are a number of momentous global events most of us will never get the chance to experience. Think holding up an Oscar, riffing on stage to a sold-out crowd or walking out to the starting blocks during the Olympic Games.

If you found yourself in that situation, how would you get in the zone? For our Olympians, getting in the right headspace before competing isn’t imaginary – it’s something they have to do, and music plays a big role.

Years of training, hours every day on the track, thousands of laps swum, but in the final minutes before competition, it comes down to a song. We asked some of our top athletes in Paris what they put on to pump themselves up before making that gold medal attempt.

Mariafe Artacho del Solar, beach volleyball

Even if Mariafe Artacho del Solar had imagined her beach volleyball career would involve three Olympic Games, she probably couldn’t have pictured herself playing underneath the Eiffel Tower.

After winning silver in Tokyo, Artacho del Solar and teammate Taliqua Clancy have made it out of the preliminary phase at Paris. When they get to the next round, Artacho Del Solar told us they will walk out beneath the streetlights of Paris listening to one of the greatest musical motivators of all time: Journey’s 1981 classic Don’t Stop Believin’.

Stewart McSweyn, athletics

You might be inclined to think Chariots of Fire would be the go-to warm-up tune for those competing at the highest level. Not for 1500 and 500-metre runner Stewart McSweyn who told us that he listens to Dizzee Rascal’s 2008 club classic Dance Wiv Me.