Michael Phelps without any introduction or doubt is the most decorated Olympian in history. The legendary swimmer has a total of 28 Olympic medals to his name. Out of these, 23 are gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals. He trails his nearest competitors by more than half when it comes to his Olympic gold medals. Over the course of his illustrious swimming career, Michael Phelps has participated in an astonishing five Olympic games, with his first Olympic appearance coming in Sydney, when he was only 15 years old.

After achieving all possible accolades in the pool, Phelps retired in 2016. However, his success did not come easy, and in recent years, the Olympic legend has opened up on the mental health struggles that he faced during the course of his glorious career. During his most recent conversation regarding the importance of mental health, Phelps opened up about one of his lowest moments in life.

When Michael Phelps experienced one of his lowest life moments

On the 10th day of the ongoing U.S. Open tennis tournament, Michael Phelps was part of the mental health forum, Mental Health and Sport: Why it Matters. Phelps shared the stage with 2x US Open champion Naomi Osaka, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Brian Hainline, President and Chairman of the Board of the USTA. The forum discussed how athletes are affected by mental health challenges, social media, and loneliness, among other things.

When the legendary swimmer was asked about his mental health journey, he explained that his mental health journey first started in 2004. Phelps had won a staggering 6 medals in only his 2nd Olympics at the 2004 Athens Games. 4 of them were gold while 2 were bronze medals. Reflecting on his 2004 Olympic high, Phelps highlighted that he did not know what to do next after the 2004 Athens Olympics ended as he experienced post-Olympic depression.

He further revealed that he finally ended up stuffing everything within himself as he went back into the pool. But over time, all his buried feelings started getting bigger and bigger until they finally showed their face. According to a US Open YouTube video, Phelps said, “I got to the breaking point in 2014 where I didn’t want to be alive, and for me, I decided that something had to change.” During the same mental health discussion, Phelps also revealed the one thing that has become his number one mission lately.

Read more: Years After Opening Up About Mental Health Struggles, Michael Phelps Shares an Important Message for the Masses

Legendary Olympian’s number one mission

Phelps revealed that after experiencing the feeling of not wanting to live any longer, he decided that it was okay to be vulnerable. The legendary swimmer maintained that vulnerable is a scary word and, similarly, change is a scary thing. He further said,?“For me to become vulnerable for the first time ever was a process. That process has now given me the chance to talk about the things I’ve gone through and hopefully save a life. That’s my number 1 mission right now.”

Phelps also emphasized that he now wants to help save people who have been suffering like he once used to. Michael Phelps’ mental health struggles highlight the urgent need for a mental health conversation in sports. Athletes are constantly under tremendous physical and mental pressures that can result in them facing a number of mental health challenges.

Forums and initiatives like Mental Health and Sport: Why it Matters, where former champions courageously speak up, go a long way in order for other athletes to come out and speak their own truth. Phelps himself along with his wife had started the Michael Phelps Foundation to support boys and girls in swimming by wishing everyone deserves to be healthy, happy, and safe. Through swimming they also aim at managing one’s mental and physical health.

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