![]() While Osaka and Biles faced some criticism - mostly from people described by Radcliffe as "armchair warriors" - both were also praised for speaking up. Biles' announcement came just a month after tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open citing mental health reasons. Yet there is some hope for things changing. Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus, who has won two Olympic gold medals, said she has deleted every social media app on her phone to avoid "external pressure." And Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten said she went off social media to preserve her mental state after her heartbreaking silver medal in the road race on Sunday. Several high-profile Olympians have spoken up about deleting their social media apps and accounts. "You couldn't print something in a newspaper or online that people get away with putting there and yet the people that it hurts still see it." She also suggested that tougher regulations on social media should be put into place. then they start to think those comments are real and they hurt a lot more than if you were protected by all of your family and friends around you," Radcliffe said, referring to an Olympics held during the Covid-19 pandemic. ![]() "It can be so cruel and so heartless and harmful and particularly in this current situation where the athletes are kind of in a bubble, removed from the real world. It got so bad that she and her husband and coach Gary Lough eventually left the country and went to Arizona to focus on training.įor Biles and her generation of elite athletes, however, escaping is nearly impossible because of social media. Reporters were hiding in bushes to watch her train and tried to trick her doctor into disclosing her private medical records. The British press hounded Radcliffe relentlessly in the aftermath of the Athens Olympics, scrutinizing her every move. "I would argue that she's actually even stronger mentally for being able to make that call now," Radcliffe said of Biles. particularly in something that's really physically, or mentally - or both - taxing, you really need to know when to push through it and when to listen to your body, and it's what has made her the great champion that she is," she said. "Very few people actually understand the relationship between your mind and your body. ![]() Our bodies just weren't able to do it," Radcliffe told CNN in a phone interview. Instead, she was called a "quitter" and accused of letting her country down - just as Simone Biles has been this week after withdrawing from individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.īiles, the most decorated gymnast in history, pulled out over mental health concerns and Radcliffe said that while their health issues were different, the underlying problem was the same. A combination of a leg injury and stomach illness meant Radcliffe was forced to pull out of the race a few miles before the finish line, disoriented and in visible distress. The whole planet was expecting the world record holder to win the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon - a dream she had since she was 11 years old.Īnd then it all went wrong. ![]() (CNN) - It was meant to be the biggest day of Paula Radcliffe's career. ![]()
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