Raising Their Voices

Soaring over a vault in midair, Simone Biles realized she’d lost her way.

The 24-year-old American—who many regard as the greatest gymnast of all time—came into the Tokyo Olympics expected to add another shelf of gold medals to her trophy case and to fulfill the obligations of a global celebrity. But the weight of her past success loomed over her. Fans assumed Biles would achieve perfection, even during a pandemic and without spectators to uplift her.

She felt far from perfect, however. Soon after the Olympics started in July, Biles said she began “fighting all of those demons” and wondering why she was even there. During her vault, she lost sense of where her body was in the air and nearly fell during the landing. She walked off the mat and later withdrew from all but one of her events, sending shock waves through the competition.

It would have been unimaginable only a few years ago for an Olympic athlete to admit significant doubts during the Games, much less to withdraw. But Biles and a handful of other famous athletes have recently opened up about their mental struggles and the stresses of competing and living in front of the cameras.

“At the end of the day, we’re human too,” Biles said in Tokyo, “so we have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

Soaring over a vault in midair, Simone Biles realized she’d lost her way.

Many see the 24-year-old American as the greatest gymnast of all time. She came into the Tokyo Olympics expected to add another shelf of gold medals for her trophy case. She also had to live up to the status of a global celebrity. But the weight of her past success clouded her mind. Fans assumed Biles would achieve perfection, even during a pandemic and without people in the audience to uplift her.

But she felt far from perfect. Soon after the Olympics started in July, Biles said she began “fighting all of those demons” and wondering why she was even there. During her vault, she lost her sense of where her body was in the air and nearly fell during the landing. She walked off the mat and later withdrew from all but one of her events. The move sent shock waves through the competition.

A few years ago, it would’ve been uncommon for an Olympic athlete to admit their doubts during the Games. And no one would have imagined an athlete would go as far as withdrawing. But Biles and a handful of other famous athletes have recently opened up about their mental struggles and the stresses of competing and living in front of the cameras.

“At the end of the day, we’re human too,” Biles said in Tokyo, “so we have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.”

Despite that stigma, athletes are increasingly speaking up. A shift in cultural acceptance started around 2013, Cauthen says, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) launched a task force on mental health. Then swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, began to talk about his experience with depression.

“I basically carried just about every negative emotion you can possibly carry along for 15, 20 years, and I never talked about it,” the then-32-year-old told an interviewer in 2017. “And I don’t know why one day I decided to just open up. But since that day, it’s just been so much easier to live.”

Despite that stigma, athletes are increasingly speaking up. A shift in cultural acceptance started around 2013, Cauthen says. That year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) launched a task force on mental health. Then swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, began to talk about his experience with depression.

“I basically carried just about every negative emotion you can possibly carry along for 15, 20 years, and I never talked about it,” the then-32-year-old told an interviewer in 2017. “And I don’t know why one day I decided to just open up. But since that day, it’s just been so much easier to live.”

Victoria Garrick has seen the evolution. Less than five years ago, when she was a volleyball player at the University of Southern California, she was feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and worry.

“I remember googling and not being able to find anyone or athletes who made me feel less alone,” she recalls. But now, “if you type in ‘athlete depression,’ you’re going to find the best athletes in the world being vulnerable and sharing what they’ve been through. . . . It says that you can be an elite athlete—the best in the world—and you can still experience anxiety.”

Victoria Garrick has seen things evolve. Less than five years ago, when she was a volleyball player at the University of Southern California, she was feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and worry.

“I remember googling and not being able to find anyone or athletes who made me feel less alone,” she recalls. But now, “if you type in ‘athlete depression,’ you’re going to find the best athletes in the world being vulnerable and sharing what they’ve been through. . . . It says that you can be an elite athlete—the best in the world—and you can still experience anxiety.”