Born on 11th September 2004, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix is a British professional diver who had her breakthrough in 2022. Seating to write a column for Metro, the rising champion spoke extensively about her journey. She came to the limelight when she won at the Commonwealth Games. However, her road to success was never easy, as she had to face several hurdles to reach where she is today. Drawing parallels with?Simone Biles‘ Twisties, the young athlete reflected on her way of overcoming troublesome situations.

From walking down the lane to talking about her future aspirations at the Olympics, she went candid. The diver also opened up about what helped her to sail past the difficult time.

Andrea, too, braved the difficult time like Simone Biles?

In her column for Metro, Andrea reflects on how she had to struggle after the Tokyo Games. Her struggles were not restricted to physical hardships but also mental turmoil. Even though she fulfilled her dream of going to the Tokyo Olympics, she felt defeated. She was going through the situation that Simone Biles would refer to as ‘twisties’ or, in golf words, ‘yips.’

For those unversed, the situation, also called “mental block,” is a psychological obstacle or limiting mindset that prevents one from completing important tasks and achieving success. Thus, it is a state that stands as an invisible barrier to doing something productive. Until a year ago, she was not in the best mental state. Andrea writes, “I was in a rut, crying in every training session.”

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However, what helped Andrea was the passion she had for sports. Reflecting on it, she writes, “What got me through that time was my love for the sport.” There was a time when she left to stop competing, but it was her determination that drove her through; she wanted to see if she could keep moving forward.

Talking about the difficult times

Spendolini-Sirieix was quick to realize that something was not right. Even doing simple things was challenging for her. Needless to say, it was a tough time for her. For four straight months, she “was on and off,”?but she soon started to get better. Her attitude changed, and she became more focused on her training.

Practicing her sports as she reflects makes her “feel most at peace.” Back in 2018, she made her international debut, and in the 2020 FINA Diving Grand Prix won her 1st solo gold medal. She is also a? two-time Commonwealth Games and two-time national senior champion across the 10-meter platform and 10-meter synchronized platform events.

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Reserving her comments for Paris, the champion driver now has her focus on the 2023 and 2024 seasons. So, what do you think about her journey?