Sprinter Rebekka Haase spoke openly about post-Olympic depression at the European Championships. After the postponed Summer Games last year, the mental low hit the athletes harder than ever.
There were days after the Olympic Games in Tokyo when Rebekka Haase barely made it to the fridge. Cooking, eating, washing clothes – the most everyday things became a major effort for the competitive athlete. “You are no longer able to do anything and you have no direction,” said the top German sprinter. She skipped the past indoor season: “I couldn’t mentally anymore.”
The great emptiness after Olympia
Post Olympic Depression. Not an unknown phenomenon. Swimming superstar Michael Phelps once put the number of Olympic participants affected at “a good 80 percent”. For the athletes, the games are the ultimate; no stage is bigger, no success more important. “Everything you have is aimed at this goal,” says Haase. And then: over. Empty. The drive: gone. “In the first moment, it takes away everything you’re working on. Any basis. That’s our identity, what we do.”
Corona pandemic exacerbates the situation
After the summer games last year, the mental low hit the athletes harder than ever: the corona pandemic had exacerbated the situation. “Due to the postponement of the Olympics to 2021, the tension remained, and that for a full two years. The athletes didn’t come down mentally because they knew I was still doing everything for the Olympics,” explained Tanja Damaske in an interview with Sportschau. en.
When you’re tense for that long, there comes a point where you just can’t take it anymore.
Exhaustion, listlessness, burnout. Haase was at this point, fell into the abyss – and got help from Damaske, who works as a psychologist in the German Athletics Association (DLV). After Tokyo, many athletes sought contact, said the 1998 European javelin champion. “Many of them had a similar condition. They reported that they hadn’t gotten out of bed for weeks, didn’t go out the door, didn’t answer the phone – and didn’t even know what was going on.”
Process was “hard, violent and gross”
The relief that others were feeling the same way was Haase’s first step in a process she describes as “tough, intense and gross.” Enlightenment, talk about it, give the appearance a bit of normality. And then make sure that there are relaxation phases, just like in physical training. This is how Damaske describes the way out of the crisis, which also varies from person to person. As are the symptoms.
It took a while for Rebekka Haase to get her inner demons under control. “We first had to investigate the causes. I wasn’t able to run again until March and prepare for the summer season. I needed this time,” emphasized the 29-year-old.
help with depression
Telephone counseling: anonymous, free advice around the clock:
phone (0800) 111 0 111 or (0800) 111 0 222
“Number against grief” hotline for children and young people: free advice:
phone 116 111. Parent phone: (0800) 111 05 50
Info telephone of the German Depression Aid: Tel. (0800) 33 44 533
Health insurance medical on-call service: 116 117
The dedication, the willingness to make sacrifices and finally the exhaustion after the Olympic Games – younger athletes could “go beyond such a point”, according to the two-time relay European Championship third place from the Wetzlar sprint team. However, at the high point a year after the Olympics, many were “not really ready for it”.
Feels like two Olympic years in a row
That too, Haase speculated, could be one of the reasons for the poor performance of the German track and field athletes at the World Championships in Eugene three weeks ago with only two medals. “It’s really difficult to get back on the track in a post-Olympic year.” Especially after what feels like two Olympic years in a row.
Another medal in Munich?
Haase recognized the problem and banned it, overcoming the emptiness. At the World Championships in Eugene, she sprinted to bronze with the DLV relay. With the success behind her, she felt strong enough to report on her mental struggle at the European Championships: “First of all, it’s also associated with shame.” Now she is enjoying the atmosphere at the home European Championships in Munich – and is reaching for a medal again with the DLV quartet. It would be another reward for what has been a challenging time in every way.