On the surface, the 2022 calendar year was full of success for Ollie Hoare. In the Commonwealth Games, there was gold in the 1500 metres. While during the dream mile at Bislett, he challenged Jakob Ingebrigtsen and ran to the Australian record of 3:47.48, at the time the 13th fastest runner in history. Beneath the surface, on the other hand, lay an iceberg of brooding feelings. – I had extreme anxiety and depression all year. I didn’t talk to anyone about it and didn’t like being around my teammates, no matter how nice they were. I struggled to find meaning in anything, says Ollie Hoare. The Australian running star opens up about the heavy feelings in the Coffee club podcast. There, it is told about a weekday where running went from being a glowing driving force, to becoming an apathetic cog in the machinery. WATER: Ollie Hoare won the gold in the Commonwealth Games last August, ahead of Timothy Cheruiyot from Kenya and Scottish Jake Wightman. Photo: Alastair Grant / AP – I felt like a robot and looked at myself in the third person. Everything became a repetitive cycle of training, eating, sleeping. Even when I won the Commonwealth Games, I felt empty inside. I was anxious during conversations with other people and struggled to make eye contact, says the 26-year-old. An absorbing pressure On the running track, top positions and new national records were hammered in. Nevertheless, emotional life was far from harmonious. The pressure from several quarters became a source of anxiety. Vebjørn Rodal, who himself has been in the top sports bubble, can understand that it is not always a sunny existence. – It is clear that it is not a perfect picture. The weekday is quite performance-oriented and measurable, so it can be a tough load, says Rodal. Not meeting ever-higher expectations can end up being a destructive train of thought, believes the Olympic champion from 1996. news EXPERT: Vebjørn Rodal. Photo: Bent Lindsetmo / news – When you have grown up and age-wise expect to extract even more, it can be a strengthening factor if you are predisposed to have dark thoughts. It can be hard enough to feel that you are not delivering above yourself, but especially that you are not delivering on the expectations of coaches, family or others in the support apparatus, says Rodal. The idea of setting up the grinder in Hoare’s head. Finally, professional help was sought. Through therapy sessions, he was able to find a new footing in the depressive fog. Nevertheless, he knows that mental health is never a completely solved puzzle. Do you struggle with heavy thoughts? The helpline for Mental Health Norway is open 24/7 on 116 123. You can also chat online. You can remain anonymous and they have a duty of confidentiality. Difficult childhood In the podcast, it is told further about a difficult childhood, characterized by bullying and poor body image. The running star described himself as a skinny boy with dysregulation and speech difficulties. The feeling of not being socially acceptable was discouraging. In the sports arena, however, he was the best, to the annoyance of his fellow students. RECORD RACE: Olli Hoare set a national record in an English mile during the Bislett Games last summer. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – I was thrown into rubbish bins several times because I won cross-country races and sewing competitions at school. Maybe it was jealousy that I did so well in sports. It was a situation I desperately wanted to get out of, because I knew the bullying would come every time I asserted myself, says Hoare. Changing schools was saved. The week was better, but the years of bullying took their toll. Since then, the 26-year-old has moved to the United States in pursuit of reaching the athletics pinnacle. During the season this year, there was an early period after a hernia injury, just weeks before the WC. He still feels that the injury has worked positively as a restart of his sports career, because he was able to go home to Australia and spend time with his family.
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– Had extreme anxiety and depression all year – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
