‘You go into a slump’: Some Olympic heroes return to face fight of their lives

Four times was the charm for Cameron McEvoy – the end of a journey of self-discovery to stand atop of the podium, bedazzled with an elusive gold medal.

But upon his return to Brisbane from Paris this week, the 50-metre freestyle champion shed light on the fall back to reality for more than 460 athletes who made up Australia’s most successful Olympic team in the nation’s history.

Cam McEvoy celebrates.Credit: Getty Images

After an intensive three-year build-up to the 2024 Olympics, adjusting to normal life could prove daunting.

They pushed for a childhood dream. For those who reached the pinnacle, what would come next? For those who might not return to those heights, or did not live up to their expectations, where to from here?

“It’s definitely a challenge,” McEvoy says.

“There’s definitely a real period post-Games where you kind of go into a slump because you’re on such a hype, and you spend such a long period of time with a very defined goal.

“Once that’s done, you come back and everything’s up in the air and there’s no defined goal – at least in the short term – to work towards.

“That can be really tough, so as much as it’s been successful, there’s still going to be a little bit of navigation going on. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”

Some immediately look towards the next competition, such as Allora hero Matthew Denny, who left Paris with a discus bronze medal and went straight to training before the Diamond League finals.

But for others, little is left on the radar.

Denny, who will spend some time decompressing with his family, says the chance to jump straight back into competition can prove a blessing.

For him, it “just keeps your brain ready for what we’re really doing this for”.

But he appreciates it’s different for each athlete.

The key to overcoming the hurdles, stresses Dr Veronique Richard from the University of Queensland, is early intervention.

Matt Denny gets bronze in discus, breaking his fourth-place curse.Credit: AP

Richard – a research fellow with UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, and Centre for Olympic and Paralympic studies – says it is a matter of ensuring athletes do not make their sport their identity.

“The healthy balance is ‘this is what I do, not what I am’. I’ll take gymnastics as an example because it starts very young; when you start elite sport, training for 30 hours a week at 10 years old, it becomes you,” she says.

“You embody this whole sport experience, which then might come with more consequences in the future. If you are no longer a gymnast, what else are you?

“Some athletes are really clear this is their last competition, and that changes the approach. For some it will be relief … for some it will be very nostalgic, and almost feeling a bit empty about this idea of the fact ‘I don’t know what’s next’.

“I always tell sport organisations they need to fund anything that has to do with mental health, wellbeing and performance at least a year after the athlete’s retirement.

“I feel there’s such a huge opportunity to help these athletes transition positively into something else, but it requires a bit of support. Hopefully, sports keep that funding active.”

Cameron McEvoy’s training overhaul – spending less time in the pool and more time pushing his body creatively out of the pool – has reaped rewards, and he is more confident of his longevity in the sport.

So much so, he intends to push for the Brisbane 2032 Games, provided “Father Time’s good to me”.

The four-time Olympian accepts his looming mental battle is unique, given this is the first time he has triumphed as an individual.

He says conquering the psychological challenge will require embracing it and taking the time to let the experience sink in.

“To the extent that you can, you can’t change it. You strap in for the ride and just go with it,” McEvoy says.

“I do feel like this is my fourth time around, I know what to expect, but this is the first time I’m coming back where I guess I’ve met my expectations.

“Maybe that helps, maybe that makes it harder because you’re coming off a higher high. Time will tell.”

Richard, who operated as a mental performance consultant with Canada’s Olympic team at the Tokyo 2020, emphasises that an individualised approach would be key.

She says the onus is on several fronts: from the athletes and the way they prepare for various emotional scenarios, to the support networks available to them.

And the latter would prove crucial if a competitor has fought mental illness conditions previously.

“I actually think the fallback of this is longer than a few months. I’ve seen people where the Games motivate them to invest even more in their sport, or invest in a more deliberate way,” Richard says.

“Then there’s a part of the athletes I’ve worked with who are disappointed in the sense ‘I’m doing all this for this’ … [and] considering whether it’s worth it or not.

“We know that with big and stressful events like the Games, for athletes already impacted by mental illness or conditions – like an eating disorder – it’s something that can reoccur.

“If the eating disorder was very well controlled before, sometimes a stressful event like the Games will be stressful enough to kind of be a trigger of the behaviour to re-emerge, which is something I’ve seen in the past.

“It’s being sure they have a space or plan to make sure they can welcome and express their emotions, as long as they don’t suppress the emotion, and diversify their activity.”