Michael Phelps recently spoke up about mental health once again. This time, however, instead of a mere rant, the legendary swimmer was in a celebratory mood. The 23x Olympic gold medalist and his wife will soon welcome their fourth son in the world. In light of this, he spoke about his development alongside cherished sportspersons like Simone Biles.

Michael Phelps and Nicole have had multiple bouts of mental tugs of war with each other. Today, the duo is doing fairly well and looking forward to growing, healing, and improving every day. In fact, he is happy that mental health is more normalized now thanks to Dwayne Johnson and Simone Biles.

“OK not to be OK”, says Phelps, referring to Simone Biles

Michael Phelps praised Simone Biles in an exclusive interview with Today.com. He said, “I’m glad more and more people are opening up about it. Our stories are similar, yet they’re different. Like, Simone (Biles), me, Naomi (Osaka), and Kevin Love, The Rock,” he says. “We can just talk about these things and share these things, you know, open up and understand it’s OK not to be OK.”

Simone Biles returned to the forefront of gymnastics after a long hiatus that began during the Tokyo Olympics. During this time, she didn’t just voice her mental health challenges but also became an inspiration for many. Coping with her pain in a healthy way is what majorly allowed Biles to get back into gymnastics. Simone Biles recently triumphed at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Antwerp, Belgium, and announced her grand global return.

Dwayne Johnson also recently made headlines when he appeared on Trevor Noah’s podcast and revealed his acceptance of his vulnerability. With such courageous individuals, the sportspersons of today and tomorrow also learn to be the best in their game while being in touch with the inner workings of their minds. Interestingly, everyone, including Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Dwayne Johnson, embraced their familial support to reach the surface and breathe.

The role played by the families of these athletes

Michael Phelps turned towards his partner to willingly work on and resolve everything, which allowed him to alleviate his problems. Likewise, Simone Biles also turned to her family and her husband, Jonathan Owens, to get the support she needed to not lose hope. The list does not conclude here.

The family factor also comes into play for US sprinting legend Allyson Felix. The 7x Olympic gold medalist is seen as a firestarter of protest against systemic oppression of female athletes by brands. Noah Lyles, on the other hand, had to deal with his brain and ailing body. 

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It was Noah Lyles’ family who nurtured him and ensured the best care that led him to hit a threepeat at the 2023 WAC. Simone Biles and all these other athletes are examples of up-and-coming sportspersons and telling them that vulnerability is normal. Have any of these athletes served as your inspiration through bad days?

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