The Olympic Flame is now extinguished and their intense days Olympic Games are a thing of the past for sportsmen and women. And now? The return to simple everyday life is also a big challenge for athletes – and many of them now feel nothing more than a big “void”.

Years ago Olympic champion Michael Phelps was one of the first athletes to report post-Olympic depression. Even this great American athlete, who has won 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold, fell into deeper and deeper depression after each Olympiad he participated in.

The tip of the iceberg

According to psychologist Marion Sulprizio, the athletes who report the depression they experience are only the tip of the iceberg. “We see some people talking about this issue, but we don’t learn anything about the majority of those who suffer from this,” the expert explained to the German News Agency (dpa). “For many athletes the issue of post-Olympic depression is taboo – as is often the case with mental illness. And many are afraid that they will be stigmatized.”

Three years ago, Australian researchers found that post-Olympic depression is not a rare phenomenon. In a series of structured interviews, the researchers spoke with sportsmen and women, who explained that in the first period after the Olympics they often feel depressed and lonely, that they miss their team and that they suddenly have a lot of free time, which they do not know how to fill

“I know many athletes who suffered”

“I know many sportsmen and women who suffered after the Olympics,” Olympian Britta Steffen, who was lucky enough to seek professional help in time, tells dpa. In this way he was able to set new goals, to find another meaning. “I always looked forward to the period after the Games, because then I had more time for my studies,” he explains.

But Stephen also went through difficult times. “After the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, I also went through a short phase of depression. It was my second Olympiad and I felt completely confused,” she recalls. The former athlete had not managed to get the performance she wanted. “After I came back I doubted myself and wondered if I wanted to try a third time.” But eventually he went on – and became an Olympian, won world titles and set world records.

“Rookies” are more at risk

The example of Michael Phelps proves that even successful athletes can suffer from depression. However, according to coach Uli Knapp, who has eaten the Olympiads… with a spoon, the risk is greater for “beginners”. “Athletes participating in the Olympic Games for the first time really immediately experience a psychological decline – much more compared to other athletes who have experienced an Olympiad before,” the expert told dpa.

Knapp has been to eight Olympiads. “Meeting Steffi Graf or Dirk Nowitzki while changing is a very intense experience. […] A few weeks later, however, you’re back to simple everyday life – and it’s not always easy to process such a change. So one has to learn to manage all these impressions better.”

Working under pressure

The development of the season also affects the psyche of the athlete. Malaika Michambo, a German long jumper who Knapp coaches, won gold in Tokyo and now silver in Paris. The athlete wants to complete this season on schedule – after recovering from the coronavirus that held her back.

“The 2021 season was very difficult for me,” recalls Mihabo. “I have to fight with myself and learn to cope with external pressure. After that I felt drained of energy. Looking back, it would have been better if I had said after the Tokyo Olympics that it was good so far, see you again next year. But all these are experiences that one acquires gradually. So it took me a little longer to get out of the post-Olympic depression phase.”

80% of athletes experience post-Olympic depression

Michael Phelps, the main character of the documentary “The Weight of Gold”, which deals with the mental health problems faced by athletes, is fighting for the mental illness to be no longer stigmatized. According to the American Olympian four out of five athletes experience some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. -Olympic depression.

He also shares his own experiences, resonating with other people to save lives – which is “light years better than winning an Olympic gold medal”, as he has previously stated. The lowest point Phelps ever reached was in 2012 after the London Olympics, when he retired for the first time. “A part of me no longer wanted to continue living,” the American star had said.

The importance of seeking professional help

“Psychology and sports psychology can help a lot and prevent such mental illnesses. It’s important for athletes to mentally prepare for what’s to come,” Sulprizio says. “There is an offer of help, but in terms of its utilization, there is room for improvement.”

In fact, people in the field of sport are as often faced with mental illness as the rest of the world: around one in five athletes experience mental health problems at some point.

Judoka Anna-Maria Wagner was also mentally ill. With the help of sports psychology, however, she was able to return to her sports duties. After the Tokyo Olympics, where she won two bronze medals, Wagner had a hard time. He recently declared with tears in his eyes that after Paris, where he failed to win a medal, “under no circumstances will I wear a judo uniform again this year”. But she will definitely keep in her mind forever as a very positive memory that she represented her country as a flag bearer.

Edited by: Giorgos Passas