The demands of any job can lead to burnout, burnout, not being able to do it anymore and not knowing how to handle it. In high-level sport these demands are enormous: every day you compete to surpass yourself and your rivals.
Two women, both superstars, put a problem on the table, the Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and the American gymnast Simone Biles. First, they admit publicly that they are overwhelmed by the pressure and then step aside, temporarily withdraw, to try to get their heads together.
Until they arrived, mental health in sport was assumed: if your job was to compete, you knew what you were exposed to and you were able to cope. It’s not like this. Other famous cases, such as the American swimmer Michael Phelpsthe Spanish basketball player Ricky Rubio or the Barcelona footballer Ferran Torresproved the opposite.
The courage they all have in admitting their weaknesses has normalized the work of athletes with psychologists; There is almost no great sports figure without them, in one way or another.
The French swimmer Leon MarchandOnly 22 years old and called one of the big stars in Paris, has been working with a mental coach for four years. Thomas Sammut He changed the way his disciple managed himself, taking him away from obsessing over results to try to make him enjoy the process, know himself better and cultivate inner peace no matter what happens in the competition. His five golds in the last World Cup are proof that he is on the right path.
Another swimmer, the British Adam Peaty, seeking in Paris a third consecutive Olympic gold in the 100 breaststroke, an event in which she has not lost in eight years. Until a leg injury caused him to lose his mind. “I got to the point where I wasn’t motivated to swim or compete, I didn’t feel like myself,” she admitted in an interview with the ‘Times’. He turns to alcohol and nightlife to quell his depression, a self-destructive spiral into a dark time.
Sometimes psychologists appear in a different way. In Peaty’s case, she had a child and took refuge in religion. “A verse in the Bible says that darkness cannot overcome light, and that positivity is what I’m looking for.” In order not to forget it, he tattooed a cross and the words ‘Into the light’ on his stomach. Now he says he is at peace with himself.
Sometimes the cards are marked as standard. This is the case of Cordoba Rafael Lozano, 19-year-old Spanish boxer and son of the legendary ‘Balita’, two-time Olympic medalist. Even his nickname, Balín, was imposed by his pedigree. A gratuitous burden on his young shoulders that he’s had to carry since he started lacing up his gloves.
“Everyone asked more of me than anyone else for being the son of who I am when I just wanted to be treated like everyone else,” he said in an interview with Efe. Two years ago, after a bad championship in Spain, he realized he needed help and went to a psychologist. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” he maintains.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
