Sally Pearson: ‘Olympic Hangover’ is about to hit Aussie heroes hard

As the Paris Olympics come to an end, our Aussie heroes are about to experience the worst type of “hangover”, writes Sally Pearson.

COMMENT

When the lights go down and the stadiums disassemble, the fanfare finished with not an athlete in sight.

What is this stillness, this eerie silence that is so loud? I can’t escape it.

Welcome to The Olympic Hangover. Not everyone feels it at first until it hits you out of nowhere like a tonne of bricks.

It hurts. Coming down from fairyland, from an illusion, from being a part of a world that we worked so hard for.

Why do we do it? Why do we want to be a part of something that can break us down so far that we can’t pick ourselves up.

It’s all for the idea that the five rings symbolise a moment in our lives that we can one day look back on and say I AM AN OLYMPIAN.

The Olympic Hangover is a feeling of exhaustion and an emptiness of feeling like you’ve grown as a person and an athlete but being at home, back in what is supposed to be your comfort zone, doesn’t feel normal anymore.

The Olympic Hangover hits hard, says Sally Pearson. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

Ariarne Titmus deserves a big break after her campaign. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

You can feel so alone being in a crowded room realising that you don’t relate to anyone anymore.

You love your friends and family but in that moment you don’t want to be around them, but they are the ones you need the most.

They are your support network, the ones who love you no matter what. But all you want to do is be alone and cry.

According to North Star Psychological Services, “Studies show that anywhere between 30 to 60 per cent of athletes face mental health challenges but, in one report, only 10 per cent of athletes with mental health issues sought out the help they needed”.

As much as I love the Olympic Games I always dreaded the flight home.

It was a realisation that my season was over and it was going to be another four years before I got to feel that rush, that adrenaline as you step into the Olympic stadium again.

It was back to the grind, the hard slog and the tunnel vision.

Jess Fox has been on cloud nine in Paris. Pic: Michael Klein

When I eventually got up dusted myself off and the grey cloud hanging over my head eventually faded and I started to feel like myself again, the feeling of excitement of what was to come, came flooding back.

I couldn’t wait to have purpose again, to feel like the world and my life had finally equalised.

I’ve been open when saying I let my sport define me. I’m not ashamed of it. I love my sport wholeheartedly.

I was never supported in my academics, a regret I now have later in life but that’s another story.

Olympic glory is the greatest adrenaline rush in the world. Photo: Adam Head

I didn’t set myself up for after I retired, my only plan was, ‘I’ll deal with that later’.

Well, later felt like it came around in a flash and I found myself a retired athlete.

Now what? I’ve been quite fortunate in my transition from being an athlete, probably because of my will to be something just as good in life but on a different path.

I suppose that’s what high achievers do, they always find a way.

For the ones that aren’t so lucky in finding their path straight away - give yourself time, time to grieve, time to say goodbye and a time to reflect on what was one of the best times in your life.

You deserve it.

- Sally Pearson is an Olympic gold medallist and one of Australia’s greatest ever track and field athletes. The former world champ is writing exclusively with news.com.au during the Paris Olympics