Train like you’re the underdog even after you’re the favorite. The hunger is the edge.

Status changes how people prepare, usually for the worse. Being expected to win makes preparation feel less necessary, while the person chasing you trains as though everything depends on it, because for them it does. The gap closes from both directions at once. Nothing about your ability dropped; the effort behind it quietly did.

Keep preparing for the version of the task where you hold no advantage. Same work, same attention, regardless of the standings. Ask whether you would train harder if you were behind, and if so, train that way now.