By: Natasha Archary
Olympic gold-medalist, Chad Le Clos recently opened up about a harrowing experience that pushed him into depression.
Speaking to Mail & Guardian, the 30-year old said it felt like he’d lost his way. While Le Clos didn’t share details of what caused his depression, he did say that it took a toll on his confidence.
“It’s something I’ll never talk about because it’s not for anybody else to know. But it was something so deep, it was worse than my parents having cancer and this was worse for them.
It really cut me deep but I didn’t know it affected me. Sometimes you don’t know that you’re swimming with that weight on your shoulders. I wasn’t myself. I was so unsure about myself. I lost all my confidence last year.”
Chad Le Clos shared with M&G
At his peak, Le Clos went on to beat Michael Phelps’ record and win Olympic gold at the age of 21 in 2012.
Since then it’s been a few years of consistency for the athlete until his devastating exit at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Finishing 5th in the 200m butterfly final, Chad Le Clos said he refused to get help before the Olympics, fearing people would think he was faking it.
But what he was dealing with around January last year took a strain on him mentally.
It was only after the Olympics that Le Clos sought professional help.
There were days Le Clos would just sit in his room and cry. He shared that his anxiety about the future had nothing to do with swimming or the Olympics.
“It was about me…it felt like I had fallen such a long way from where I was in terms of who I was as a person. It really wasn’t about swimming.”
Le Clos is in a better place now and has a stronger mindset which is showing in his sport.
In April, the swimmer won 4 gold medals in the nationals and is focusing on the Commonwealth Games.
“I did some deep therapy last year. I’m okay to talk about it now because I’m actually good. I’m 100% good now compared to last year. Last year I couldn’t talk about anything because I was just a shell of myself.”
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