Olympian Michael Phelps opened up about his experience with depression years after he rose to fame after winning his first Olympic gold medal.
Phelps, 38, revealed he had been dealing with mental health problems in 2018 and has since been working as an advocate. Ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris, he sat down for an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press.
“I think, at that point, I’ll say as a male athlete, I could tell something was off,” Phelps said. “But I think I saw it as a sign of weakness and if I shared anything about it, then it would give my competitors an edge. And I’m not trying to do that, right? I don’t want to give my competitors an edge.”
“I’m trying to be better than anybody, period, has ever been,” Phelps said. “So, for me, I looked at it as weakness. So, for me, I had to learn that vulnerability is a good thing. And it was scary at first, but I learned that vulnerability just means change, and for me, it was a great change.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Phelps was a trailblazer for his fellow Olympians to discuss mental health, as tennis player Naomi Osaka and gymnast Simone Biles have since publicized their own struggles. However, at his age and with four children at home, Phelps retired from swimming in 2016.
The swimmer holds the record for most decorated Olympian, with 23 gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals.
