Transformative Power of Sport: Athlete Retirement Experience
Transformative Power of Sport: A Gold Medal Experience
Challenging the comeback effect
It was once believed that being slightly behind in a game could boost winning chances in basketball, but new research challenges this idea. Tests across other sports like football and rugby found no similar effect.
Mental health of high-performance coach and staff
A growing awareness of mental health needs among elite athletes has emerged, but the mental well-being of coaches and high-performance support staff (HPSS) in elite sports is less understood. Heightened levels of psychological distress, risky alcohol consumption, and sleep disturbances were found among coaches and HPSS, highlighting the need to extend mental health support to…
Preventing overtraining syndrome in elite athletes
Elite athletes’ intense training boosts performance but can lead to overtraining syndrome (OTS) without ample rest. A new review highlights OTS’s impact on physical and mental health, manifesting in reduced performance, mood swings, and motivation loss. Preventing OTS involves monitoring loads, prioritizing recovery, and adjusting training plans promptly based on early signs for optimal athlete…
Prevalence of Common Mental Health Disorders Among Elite Canadian Athletes
Muscle cramps and damage in marathon runners
Muscle cramps are a common issue in marathons, often affecting runners’ performance. This study compared muscle damage and dehydration between marathoners with and without exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC). Runners with EAMC had higher levels of muscle damage markers but similar dehydration and electrolyte levels compared to those without cramps.
Quadrennium mental health support
High performance athletes confront many mental health challenges throughout their career. According to a recent consensus statement, these challenges vary across distinct phases of the Olympic and Paralympic journey, and can impact athletes in the lead up to, during, and after the Games. This underscores the need for heightened mental health awareness as well as…
Why is it difficult for high performance athletes to ask for help?
In the competitive world of sports, athletes continually push their limits in pursuit of excellence. High performance athletes who are training for events like the Olympic and Paralympic Games face unique stressors throughout the 4-year cycle, from the pressures of competition to the post-Games “blues” to uncertainty about future cycles (Henriksen et al., 2020). As…
Perfectionism in high performance athletes
Many high-performance athletes scrutinize their own performances and often aim for perfection. A recent study delved into how perfectionistic athletes view success and failure in sports. Through interviews and season-long diaries, researchers found that an athlete’s ability to deal with failure depended on the type of perfectionism they exhibited.