withdrawing from competition: brave or feeble?

[joan ofarc]

There have now been three young athletes who have withdrawn from sporting competition; Raducanu, Osaka and Biles, citing mental well-being as the reason.

Taken as a given that I, and probably everyone else on this forum, have never had the training or skill to be able to compete at top levels, can we still consider that there seems to be a lack of fortitude in these athletes? All three were facing a lack of form immediately before their decision. Could it be that they just can't handle the pressures that come with competing at the highest levels when it's not all going their way?
I'm sure they set very high standards for themselves and are disappointed if they don't perform as they expected, but isn't the ability to push through that the mark of a truly great athlete?

[Alikado]

The athletes are under tremendous pressure to perform outstandingly, every performance is expected to be at least equal to their last, They are very young and cannot be expected to cope with the pressure, it is a failure of their coaching team not the athlete that has lead to them pulling out. Since 'Big Money' entered Sports these pressures have increased it is not just the athletes competing for their pride they are also carrying the burden of not only the coaches expectations but also the expectations of the Big Multinationals who require their pound of flesh for their money.

[Toodles McGinty]

Not sure about the other two, but I sometimes follow tennis and I'd say the pressures on the top players are ridiculous.

I know they are precious millionaires who never have to work again if they don't want to. But I'd bet when they were pounding the courts at seven years old, dreaming of winning titles, they didn't figure in they'd have to be at the beck and call of the media, then get punished if they didn't want 40 mics stuffed into their faces.

Sure, they'd know about press conferences, etc. I doubt they knew they'd have to stand up and address the crowds after every match on the show courts at Wimbledon. I thought that was really bizarre. Advice to youngsters, hone your stand up skills as well as your backhand.

They get rewarded well for sponsorship deals, no doubt. On the other hand, we are finally recognising that mental illness is just as serious and debilitating as a broken ankle. Nobody would complain if an athlete didn't turn up because they'd broke a bone. Should we really expect them to 'man up and get on with it' if they are suffering mentally?

[Hamble]

Two minds on this.

No doubt psychological suffering should be treated.

Fear of failure is not confined to athletes.

Simone Byers was not performing as well as expected and I do believe the fear of injury (linked to this) a reasonable exit.

Particularly after lockdown and Covid restrictions athletes have suffered socially and prolonged isolation when injured.

I foresee future athletes being asked to sign a pledge of mental fitness before an Olympic competition.

[silver fox]

There have now been three young athletes who have withdrawn from sporting competition; Raducanu, Osaka and Biles, citing mental well-being as the reason.

Taken as a given that I, and probably everyone else on this forum, have never had the training or skill to be able to compete at top levels, can we still consider that there seems to be a lack of fortitude in these athletes? All three were facing a lack of form immediately before their decision. Could it be that they just can't handle the pressures that come with competing at the highest levels when it's not all going their way?
I'm sure they set very high standards for themselves and are disappointed if they don't perform as they expected, but isn't the ability to push through that the mark of a truly great athlete?

I'm sure there are some who will back down when things aren't going their way, I am equally certain that many will reach a point where everything suddenly gets on top of them, here is the real point, good for those who recognise that that point has been reached, there are too many who continue to push on, then suffer a total breakdown, at times with tragic results.

It's so easy to sit on the sidelines and judge, remember whatever causes stress for one individual, can be just a walk in the park for someone else.

[joan ofarc]

Mental illness is one thing but is this now too big an umbrella? And an excuse for poor performance? Yes, the pressures are great but not unexpected. They must all know what is involved by now.
Stress, understandable when you are under pressure to perform, is not the same as having an illness.
Pushing the situation a little further down the line will we get to the point when football players don't play some games because they need to look after their mental health? What about their team mates or the punters who have paid to see them?
I watched the utter despair of some of our athletes in Tokyo who failed because of an error (rowers) or missed a medal by hundredths of a second and wonder how they will get over it, but they do. So somewhere resilience is built into their training ad aftercare. Different to not taking part in the first place?

[jamyramy]

as a lifelong panic attack anxiety sufferer ,wellyou learn coping strategys that enable you to cope and compensate,you learn to dig deep at times ,and recognise thatyou can push through those overwhelming doubhts. but in competition well to back off from something that you believe is your lifes chosen direction and choice ,then maybe one has to look at were ones going if you cant push past your angsts.or is one trying to live up to anothers direction expectation pushed on you also. everyones internalfears angsts and doubghts are our own competition at the best of times .but cope and face them we have to.

[said]

as a lifelong panic attack anxiety sufferer ,wellyou learn coping strategys that enable you to cope and compensate,you learn to dig deep at times ,and recognise thatyou can push through those overwhelming doubhts. but in competition well to back off from something that you believe is your lifes chosen direction and choice ,then maybe one has to look at were ones going if you cant push past your angsts.or is one trying to live up to anothers direction expectation pushed on you also. everyones internalfears angsts and doubghts are our own competition at the best of times .but cope and face them we have to.

I agree. At one time all sport was a challenge which you looked forward to. You needed to be tested just to discover how good you were for your own satisfaction. If you were beaten - well good for the other competitor, and you needed to work harder. That is what sport is all about.

However, many of today's sports people have it drummed into them that they are the best, the overall tops. Then when they make an error, or if someone beats them - they cannot handle it. As Jamy says - if you cannot handle the pressure, you are in the wrong job.

[Toodles McGinty]

From a fellow gymnast regarding Simone Biles:

[Alikado]

I agree. At one time all sport was a challenge which you looked forward to. You needed to be tested just to discover how good you were for your own satisfaction. If you were beaten - well good for the other competitor, and you needed to work harder. That is what sport is all about.

However, many of today's sports people have it drummed into them that they are the best, the overall tops. Then when they make an error, or if someone beats them - they cannot handle it. As Jamy says - if you cannot handle the pressure, you are in the wrong job.

Totally wrong, it is a failure of the coaching and backup team, it is their job to keep the athlete in the right place at the right time both physically & mentally.

[said]

From a fellow gymnast regarding Simone Biles:

Biles story although a great achievement can be surpassed by many athletes of which the following are just a few:

• Kieran Behan, gymnast. Imagine being told that you will never walk again! ...
• Michael Jordan, basketball player. ...
• Bethany Hamilton, surfer. ...
• Muhammad Ali, boxer. ...
• Michael Phelps, swimmer.

The fact is that Biles was competing for her COUNTRY, if she was less than at her peak fitness, she should have stepped down and allowed a fitter athlete the opportunity to take her place.

Remember, Our press is directed from the States and there is a heavy bias to that country - Biles is nowhere near the best olympic medallist - that title is held by the Russians.

[Toodles McGinty]

Biles story although a great achievement can be surpassed by many athletes of which the following are just a few:

• Kieran Behan, gymnast. Imagine being told that you will never walk again! ...
• Michael Jordan, basketball player. ...
• Bethany Hamilton, surfer. ...
• Muhammad Ali, boxer. ...
• Michael Phelps, swimmer.

The fact is that Biles was competing for her COUNTRY, if she was less than at her peak fitness, she should have stepped down and allowed a fitter athlete the opportunity to take her place.

Remember, Our press is directed from the States and there is a heavy bias to that country - Biles is nowhere near the best olympic medallist - that title is held by the Russians.

*whoosh*

[silver fox]

Biles story although a great achievement can be surpassed by many athletes of which the following are just a few:


[LIST][*]Kieran Behan, gymnast. Imagine being told that you will never walk again! ...[*]Michael Jordan, basketball player. ...[*]Bethany Hamilton, surfer. ...[*]Muhammad Ali, boxer. ...[*]Michael Phelps, swimmer.


The fact is that Biles was competing for her COUNTRY, if she was less than at her peak fitness, she should have stepped down and allowed a fitter athlete the opportunity to take her place.

Remember, Our press is directed from the States and there is a heavy bias to that country - Biles is nowhere near the best olympic medallist - that title is held by the Russians.

Of course, of course the reason for her withdrawal is because she became disorientated during her vault, evidently more common than you may think, it also happens to others and can be incredibly dangerous.

As far as who is the greatest Olympian, take your pick, but just remember that Russia are restricted to competing under the Olympic banner due to prolonged drug abuses, remember those impossibly juvenile build of many, particularly female gymnasts, all due to drugs.

Or just possibly Biles becomes some sort of hate figure because she is black and female, believe it or not this rubbish is of course being pushed in the USA.

[Alikado]

Biles story although a great achievement can be surpassed by many athletes of which the following are just a few:

• Kieran Behan, gymnast. Imagine being told that you will never walk again! ...
• Michael Jordan, basketball player. ...
• Bethany Hamilton, surfer. ...
• Muhammad Ali, boxer. ...
• Michael Phelps, swimmer.

The fact is that Biles was competing for her COUNTRY, if she was less than at her peak fitness, she should have stepped down and allowed a fitter athlete the opportunity to take her place.

Remember, Our press is directed from the States and there is a heavy bias to that country - Biles is nowhere near the best olympic medallist - that title is held by the Russians.

Again that is a coaching failure.

[said]

Of course, of course the reason for her withdrawal is because she became disorientated during her vault, evidently more common than you may think, it also happens to others and can be incredibly dangerous.

As far as who is the greatest Olympian, take your pick, but just remember that Russia are restricted to competing under the Olympic banner due to prolonged drug abuses, remember those impossibly juvenile build of many, particularly female gymnasts, all due to drugs.

Or just possibly Biles becomes some sort of hate figure because she is black and female, believe it or not this rubbish is of course being pushed in the USA.

It is the politics of the sport that places many sports people under pressure, and America have hung their coat on Biles. There is no doubt that she is a highly talented gymnast but this is not the whole story. There are several issues here that people may not know and which the USA are keeping quiet about.

Supposedly, Biles is one of four siblings. She is very much like her sister Adria whose mother is Nellie Biles. It is claimed that Biles was adopted when she was six years old - she was born in 1997 and all four children were adopted in 2000. My math may be poor but that makes her just three years old when she was supposedly adopted, I think. In which case she would not recall going without food and poor treatment etc.,

Her 'adoptive' parent Ron coached Adria in gymnastics when the child was nine years old. But started coaching Simone two years later. Although old enough, Simone was not entered for the 2012 Olympics.

It is claimed that an Olympics Doctor was charged with sexual assault after 250 athletes complained. They allegedly received a pay out. There is no mention that Biles received anything.

When under huge pressure in Tokyo competitions, her performance was poor and she sought the help of a psychiatrist. Sometime during her career, Simone was diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed Ritilin, which is a banned drug for athletes, but Simone was excused its use due to her condition.

It is thought the pressure of the USA, stems from a fabrication of her lifestyle which is difficult for anyone to maintain for long. Simone's Mother is at present on probation and has been charged over the years with, theft, DUI and assault. Her older sister, by five years, is also on probation charged with similar offences. Her brother, three years older than Simone has just been released, with the efforts of a very expensive barrister - after having been suspected and charged with a triple murder. Her sister an ex gymnast is now training to be a dental hygienist. Lots of history there.