{"id":27094,"date":"2024-07-29T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=27094"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:10:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:10:55","slug":"if-michael-phelps-were-competing-in-2024-he-would-have-had-better-mental-health-support-than-during-his-heyday","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/if-michael-phelps-were-competing-in-2024-he-would-have-had-better-mental-health-support-than-during-his-heyday\/","title":{"rendered":"If Michael Phelps Were Competing in 2024, he Would Have Had Better Mental Health Support than During his Heyday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n 29 Jul 2024 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

If Michael Phelps Were Competing in 2024, he Would Have Had Better Mental Health Support than During his Heyday<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Human Performance<\/a>, Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/if-michael-phelps-were-competing-in-2024-he-would-have-had-better-mental-health-support-than-during-his-heyday\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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The 23-time Olympic champion suffered with anxiety and depression during his career and USA Swimming has worked hard to bring mental ill health to the top of the performance agenda.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

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By John Portch<\/h6>\n
USA Swimming is currently the only American national governing body to have an in-house mental health provider.<\/h6>\n

Emily Klueh is the Manager of Psychological Services at USA Swimming.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a former National Team athlete, which is fantastic,\u201d Lindsay Mintenko told the Leaders Performance Podcast of Klueh\u2019s work in mid-July. \u201cShe understands the stressors that athletes are going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mintenko, the Director of the National Team at USA Swimming and a two-time Olympic gold medallist herself, explained that the NGB was listening when their athletes indicated in the wake of the 2016 Rio Games that they wanted and needed more mental health support.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this collective demand emboldened Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, to go public with his story at a mental health conference. \u201cReally, after every Olympics, I think I fell into a major state of depression,\u201d Phelps said at the 2018 Kennedy Forum in Chicago. He felt his \u201chardest fall\u201d was after the 2012 London Games when he could spend anywhere between three and five days in his room, not eating and barely sleeping while \u201cjust not wanting to be alive\u201d.<\/p>\n

It was a shocking admission but, in the subsequent six years, more and more athletes are speaking up. Some will be competing in Paris, such as seven-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel and five-time Olympic medallist Simone Manuel, both of whom have withdrawn from competitions in the past citing mental health concerns.<\/p>\n

Below, we take a closer look at how USA Swimming is supporting its Olympians.<\/p>\n

Mental health = physical health<\/strong><\/p>\n

USA Swimming sees mental health as analogous to physical health. \u201cIt is essential to recognize our brain is a muscle, and just like any muscle in our body, we can work to make it stronger,\u201d Klueh told USA Swimming\u2019s website in May. \u201cWe all fluctuate along the continuum based on life events, genetics, and other environmental factors. Having support, resources, and tools to enhance our brains is crucial to our overall health and well-being.\u201d The team\u2019s swimmers are supported at every camp and competition. They can also call upon support wherever they live, as Mintenko revealed. \u201cWe provide a stipend for our National Team athletes to go to a mental health provider of their choice,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Fighting the stigma<\/strong><\/p>\n

For all the progress that has been made, there is still a stigma attached to mental ill health, as the Paris-bound Regan Smith highlighted at this year\u2019s US Olympic swimming trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to be afraid to talk about it, because I was afraid of being perceived as weak or washed up because women are really attacked I think in sports, like people are quick to judge us,\u201d said Smith, who won three medals in Tokyo. \u201cThe second that you vocalise what you\u2019re going through, I think it makes it a lot easier, because you realise that you\u2019re not alone, you realise that it\u2019s so normal to experience these feelings and then it makes it a lot easier to overcome them, at least in my instance, I\u2019m really thankful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith admitted her mental health remains a work in progress, which adds credence to Klueh\u2019s view that sport must normalise conversations about the topic. \u201cI am very passionate about increasing the frequency and opportunities for conversations, reducing stigmas, and enhancing support for people who want to improve their minds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The impact on performance<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Klueh explained, a clinical diagnosis may or may not have a tangible impact on athlete performance. It is important to understand that mental health exists on a spectrum. At one end, depression can make it difficult for a person to participate in group activities; it may also present mental and emotional challenges in training. Research also suggests a significant link between anxiety and disorders of the digestive system, which has implications for nutrition, fatigue and recovery.<\/p>\n

Klueh made the case for prevention before cure. \u201cOn the other end of the spectrum, when looking at sport optimization, the way we talk to ourselves has an impact on how we engage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we possess the tools to effectively self-talk, we can more easily focus and concentrate on specific tasks rather than give into fatigue, second guess ourselves, or worry about outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

USA Swimming\u2019s senior leadership team also has a role to play. \u201cI want to be able to provide them an opportunity to do their jobs and make sure they\u2019re given a chance to promote themselves,\u201d said Mintenko.<\/p>\n

Striking a balance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Klueh believes that athletes should accept their daily struggles in the pursuit of striking a comfort level that works for them. \u201cWhen we work with our minds, we can find intention and purpose in what we do, which in turn increases satisfaction and potentially decreases mental health struggles,\u201d said Klueh, who believes this approach enables individuals to better process their emotions and, ultimately, make smarter decisions.<\/p>\n

She wants to help set athletes on a successful trajectory, which is why it is incumbent on Mintenko to provide a safe and fun environment where medals are not the sole focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe find other ways to measure success that aren\u2019t just winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to our full interview with Lindsay Mintenko below:<\/em><\/p>\n