“Everyone wants to sit in your seat until they have to sit in your seat… Very few people understand what winning and being successful does to an individual’s mental health. They don’t understand the pressures one takes on, to win again and again.’ The weight of winning. The strongest breaststroker in the world Adam Peaty he used these words to explain his step back. One stop before finally going out of revs. He dominated the breaststroke for eight years, the only one under 57”, there was him and then all the others, a couple of generations lined up: three Olympic gold medals, eight world titles, 15 European titles, two world records still valid in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, a point of reference and the expression of a new way of interpreting the breaststroke, with that style that may not be beautiful but damn effective. A motorboat on the water.
And now? Thats enough. As tennis player Naomi Osaka, as well as gymnast Simone Bilescome footballer Josip Iliciclike other top champions who feel the need to stop. Burnout is the English word: exhaustion. Peaty doesn’t know if it’s the case for him, he talks about imbalance. The need to put all the pieces back in place to find the only thing more important than speed, in fact the balanceit is no coincidence that the inscription tattooed on his skin together with the lion, Poseidon, the five circles and another revealing inscription “conquer your demons”.
Which pawn moved brought down the whole castle is not known. Last year, his initially seemed to be a physical problem: he had broken his foot in a strange accident in training, he had missed the World Cup in Budapest (won by our Nicolò Martinenghi who is now the first to comment on Peaty’s post «Stay strong bro», “be strong brother», and that, as a sportsman, he couldn’t wait to compete again with him). Peaty then returned for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, obviously won, skipping the European Championships in Rome and the confrontation with Martinenghi. Comparison that seems to skip even at the next World Cup in Fukuoka, even if the English Federation were to change their mind, they will always be able to field him even at the last moment.
Provided that Adam puts things right inside himself. Also last summer, the separation from his wife Eiri, known three years earlier on Tinder, with whom he had a son, George-Anderson Adetola Peaty, who is almost three years old: “Eiri and George, I’m sorry to disappoint you” wrote on social media.
Now the collapse. “As some may know, i struggled with my mental health in recent years and I think it’s important to be honest. I’m tired, I’m not myself and I don’t enjoy sport as I have in the last decade – continues his post -. Some might call it a burnout; I just know that in the last few years I haven’t had the answers I was looking for. With help, I now know how to deal with the imbalance in my life. As I continue to train, I have decided to withdraw from the British Swimming Championships next month. This with the sole purpose of delivering the best possible performance in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games. I am immensely grateful for all the support I am receiving from my team and family at British Swimming along with my amazing sponsors, family and friends. This sport has given me all that I am and I can’t wait to rediscover the love I feel for him».
Power wears down those who have it. And it is not an isolated case. The University of Sydney conducted a research published in Sports Medicine a few years ago, which showed that high-level athletes run a higher risk of developing psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression compared to the rest of the population. Rice links the result to factors such as an injury or excessive training, extreme and close commitments. Federica Pellegrini, who over the years has overcome panic attacks and eating disorders, and who was helped by a psychologist, not surprisingly insists on inserting a figure who can help the athletes of the national team on a psychological level.