"I felt I was carrying, as Simone Biles said, the weight of world on shoulders" - When Michael Phelps related to gymnast's mental health struggles

Michael Phelps once shared his thoughts on Simone Biles's mental health struggles during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The most decorated Olympian of all time acknowledged the struggles the star artistic gymnast went through.

Phelps, through his statement, tried to give an understanding of what Biles experienced. Despite achieving incredible success throughout their career, both elite athletes faced significant mental challenges. Further, Phelps opened up about the importance of recognizing mental health issues. He shared his thoughts via NBC Olympics & Paralympics in July of 2021, mentioning:

“We’re human beings, nobody is perfect. It’s ok to not be ok. It’s ok to go through ups and downs and emotional roller coasters ... I felt like I was carrying, as Simone (Biles) said, the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s a tough situation,” said Phelps.

Biles is one of the most successful artistic gymnasts. She has clinched eleven Olympic medals, including seven gold. She has 23 World Championships gold medals, four silver medals, and three bronze medals.

During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she withdrew from several competitions due to suffering from twisties, which could be attributed to mental stress and strain. The twisties are a mental block that creates dissonance between mind and body. Due to this disconnect, artistic gymnasts face difficulty in performing aerial routines. However, despite mental health issues, Biles clinched two Olympic medals.

Notably, the legendary swimmer Michael Phelps has 28 Olympic medals, 33 World Championship medals, 32 Swimming World Cup medals, and 21 medals from Pan Pacific Championships.

Michael Phelps reveals his battle with mental stress after the Olympic Games

Michael Phelps at Texas v Michigan - Source: Getty

The five-time Olympian Michael Phelps once revealed the difficulty he faced while adjusting to his life after his Olympic feats. He expressed that he struggled in dealing with the emotional decline that followed the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic games. During his interview with NBC (as reported by the Olympics) in May 2024, he added:

“I would say probably 2004. 2004 was my first taste of post-Olympic depression, you know, coming off such a high. It’s basically… you get to like the edge of a cliff, like ‘Cool now what? Oh, I guess I've got to wait four more years to have the chance to do it again’. 2008 was my second taste of post-Olympic depression because coming off that high after doing something you set out to do your whole entire life.”

Michael Phelps was honored with the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times, and in 2017, he won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.