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Randy Kindred: Takeaway from Tokyo? Michael Phelps at his best in these Olympics

Pantagraph - 8/7/2021

Aug. 7—Michael Phelps starring in an Olympics? We've seen that. The most decorated Olympian ever with 28 total medals and 23 gold, we watched him churn through the water at Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.

It was enough to leave NBC's wonderfully excitable swim analyst Rowdy Gaines hoarse.

Phelps has remained dry and chlorine-free during the Tokyo Olympics. Yet, he's been a star just the same.

Phelps' work on NBC during the swim competition and, most notably, through gymnast Simone Biles' mental health issues was superb.

Phelps brought a perspective to the Biles situation that only he could, having experienced what it's like to be the "face" of an Olympics and the weight of that. He spoke from the heart with empathy for what Biles was going through and an understanding of what her very public battle could do for others.

Previously, he had shared his own struggles with depression and mental health. His ability to articulate what that is like, and how widespread the issues are, was much like he was in the water ... spot on and eye opening.

Phelps stressed repeatedly, "It's OK not to be OK." Biles would say it in interviews as well, a great message for anyone feeling inadequate or embarrassed about their state of mind.

The words surely hit home with those undergoing mental health treatment. Yet, they also carried weight for those overwhelmed by their situation, but wary of letting anyone know.

You don't have to be an Olympic champion swimmer or gymnast to feel smothered by pressure to be perfect and "on" all the time. You can be a mother juggling a career, a marriage and children who need you, depend on you.

You can be a corporate executive faced with the reality that maintaining a healthy bottom line will come at the expense of a loyal, dedicated workforce. You can be a truck driver with impossible delivery deadlines and a family at home wondering when you will return.

There's also this: You can be a 60-something sports editor weary in mind and body from trying to maintain a standard of coverage that you, and readers, have grown to expect. You see resources dwindle but press on, telling yourself, "You are responsible. You have to do this!"

Such expectations are nowhere near a Simone Biles or Michael Phelps level. Yet, they are real and debilitating, until one day you admit it is too much and you say it out loud. The relief is immediate. The weight is lifted. And shortly thereafter, with your mental health finally the priority, you step away from the day to day grind.

My words were "overwhelmed" and "worn down." Phelps' words more accurately describe what needed to be said, to myself and others.

"It's OK not to be OK."

It took a long time to get there. For so long — too long — the mind insisted that saying anything would be admitting failure, perceived as a sign of weakness. Neither was true.

In journalism today, we are big on "takeaways" from a game or event. My takeaway from the Tokyo Olympics is Simone Biles being true to herself, doing what was right for her, and Michael Phelps telling the world it was OK, that he had been there himself.

For all the medals in his possession, he was never better than on that NBC set, sharing heart and hope for the mental pressures felt by athletes and non-athletes, from mothers to corporate executives to truck drivers.

And, yes, to a relieved and retired sports editor.

Randy Kindred is a columnist and retired sports editor at The Pantagraph. Follow Randy Kindred on Twitter: pg_kindred

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