How Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Manuel Overcame Overtraining Syndrome

Every athlete knows that greatness is on the other side of hard training. But what happens if you overdo it? That’s what Simone Manuel, 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 freestyle who failed to qualify for the final earlier this month at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials, found out when she was diagnosed with overtraining syndrome in March and spent three weeks out of the pool two months before the trials.

“It was kind of one of those bittersweet moments where my body wasn’t doing what I knew it was capable of,” said Manuel, 24 in another interview, the only Black woman individual Olympic gold medal in her category.

“I had moments where I didn’t even want to go to the pool because I knew it was going to be bad,” she said in a press conference before her race earlier this month. “It was one of those moments where I felt relief because (taking time off) is what I need to even get to Olympic trials, but it also was hard because 11 weeks out from Olympic trials, you’re taking three weeks out of the water. I wasn’t doing any exercise. I went home and I spent time with my family.”

Manuel said she experienced various symptoms starting at the top of the year: an increased heart rate, both at rest and in training; insomnia, depression, lack of appetite, anxiety and muscle soreness.

“Like just walking up the stairs to the pool, I was gassed. Workouts that seemed to be easier seemed to be really hard,” she said during the press conference.

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“It was definitely discouraging. There is the physical component but on top of that is the mental component” she shared.

“I was going to practice and I didn’t want to be there because I knew I wasn’t at my best and that’s hard because I love this sport and that was hard for me to grasp during that time.”

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, burnout or overtraining syndrome, is a condition in which an athlete experiences fatigue and declining performance in sport despite continuing or increased training.

Overtraining can result in mood changes, decreased motivation, frequent injuries, and even infections.

Overtraining syndrome happens when an athlete fails to recover adequately from training and competition.

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The symptoms are due to a combination of changes in hormones, suppression of the immune system (which decreases the athlete’s ability to fight infection), physical fatigue and psychological changes.

Risk factors include specializing in a single sport, sudden increases in training, participation in endurance sports, low self-esteem, and parental and coaching pressure to perform.

Warning signs of burnout include:

• The young athlete is no longer enjoying playing the sport.
• The sport is dominating the family’s life.
• The only topic of conversation is the child’s sport.
• Rewards are based on performance in the sport.
• The young athlete has missed 10 percent of the season, but has not seen a doctor.
• The female athlete is older than 16 and still not menstruating, or is dieting just to become a better athlete.

Manuel, who set the American record in the 100 free in 52.04 seconds at the 2019 world championships, ended up in ninth place after the evening’s two semifinals in 54.17, missing the eighth and last spot in the final by .02 seconds.

“I’m an Olympic champion so I know there is more there,” she shared in another interview.

“That’s what is giving me peace. I know I did everything I possibly could to even be here and that makes me proud because I continue to stay strong during this process even when there are times when I wanted to give up.”