Shedding light on mental health on the Paris world stage is another step forward in removing the oppressive stigmas and humanizing the well-being of athletes. There have been several instances where Olympians have opened up about their mental health battles and reminded viewers that there is more to them than their sport. After winning gold in the men’s 100m race, Noah Lyles took to Twitter to share a powerful message about not letting struggles define him. “I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and depression,” the track star wrote. “But, I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why not you!” Now that Lyles fell short of expectations in the 200m finals (he finished third, winning a bronze medal), fans should remember that these athletes are human, and despite talking a big game to win gold, Lyles is still a champion who overcame a lot to medal at Olympics, which is not a small feat.
