ATLANTA (AP) – As Simone Manuel zigzags across a decent deck filled with swimmers, she reminds herself that there are still some things about her sport that irritate her.

“I’m not sure a crowded pool deck is always the most fun,” she jokes, smiling. “I don’t think any swimmer likes it very much.”

Not that she’s complaining.

Not after the whole lot she’s been through.

Manuel, the first Black swimmer to win a person Olympic gold medal, is coming off a devastating case of overtraining syndrome that has seen her body break down in the run-up to the 2021 Tokyo Games, following a starring role five years earlier in Rio de Janeiro, where she won two golds and two silver medals.

Manuel struggled to make the U.S. team in Japan and only won a bronze medal as anchor in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. As soon as the flame went out, she was forced to present up all activity – even something as mundane as a light-weight walk – for seven months to permit herself to heal each physically and mentally.

“These are probably the most boring months of my life,” she told The Associated Press. “I spent loads of time talking about my feelings, what happened, processing what happened, because I feel once you’re in that, you are type of in survival mode. I actually needed to work through it and come to terms with the whole lot.

Heading into the U.S. Olympic trials, which begin Saturday in Indianapolis, Manuel is in a a lot better place.

As at all times, she is set to win the Olympics for a 3rd time, but she knows that there are things way more essential than hitting the wall for the first time.

Like ensuring he takes care of himself.

It’s a lesson that a growing variety of top athletes – from swimmer Caeleb Dressel to gold medalist gymnast Simone Biles to tennis star Naomi Osaka – are heeding once they are overwhelmed by the demands of their sport.

“I always liked to dream big and set very aggressive goals for myself,” said Manuel, who won historic gold by tying for the 100-meter freestyle at the 2016 Rio Games. “It would be unfair of me to lower my standards. but at the same time, I have to give myself grace because this journey is unlike any other I have ever been on in this sport.”

After a protracted doctor-ordered break – accompanied by inevitable doubts about whether she would ever be a top-level swimmer again – Manuel looks like herself in the pool again.

The 27-year-old Texan posted her best time in the 100m freestyle since 2019 ultimately month’s meet, making her one in every of the top sprinters.

“I’m very happy with where she’s at,” said one in every of her coaches, Bob Bowman, who’s best known for working with the most decorated Olympian of all of them, Michael Phelps. “He’s pretty close to his highest level.”

Manuel transferred to Arizona State University in suburban Phoenix to work with Bowman and his chief assistant, Herbie Behm, which had a huge effect on her recovery.

“I just felt like when I met Bob, I had a really good connection with him,” Manuel said. “He really understood my experience with overtraining, which was extremely important to me. I wanted to be able to talk to my new coach about this experience, what it was like for me, mentally and physically, and have them want to talk to me about it, but also understand what it was like and how they can help me moving forward.”

Bowman’s acknowledgment of Manuel’s condition was in stark contrast to the lack of awareness – outside of sports and even at the pool – when she revealed her condition. Overtraining syndrome is a really real problem, but some felt she was simply making excuses for her underperformance ahead of Tokyo.

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She even considered giving up sports.

“I’ve achieved a lot in this sport and I think to some extent some of the reactions to what happened to me haven’t been entirely kind,” she said. “I suppose I believed, ‘I haven’t got to place myself in a position again where I’m vulnerable to the world simply to have them not accept the undeniable fact that what happened to me was real and that it isn’t. Excuse.'”

Experts say overtraining syndrome – also referred to as burnout – is a really major problem for all top-level athletes, who must walk a fantastic line between working harder than their competitors without reaching the point of diminishing returns.

Every body, even people who win gold medals, has its limitations.

“This does not give the body enough time to recover from intense training, which results in fatigue and lack of motivation,” said Dr. Paul Arciero, a professor in the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh. “One of the telltale symptoms is a decline in performance.”

That’s what happened to Manuel, who at all times believed – like a lot of her fellow athletes and coaches – that the only strategy to continually improve was to push her body even harder. As the Tokyo Olympics approached, she couldn’t understand why her times were getting worse, though she felt like she was working harder than ever.

Dr. Robert Trasolini, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Northwell Health Orthopedic Institute in New York, said Olympic athletes, who devote countless hours to achieving a goal that may only be achieved every 4 years, are particularly prone to overtraining.

“When you start to push yourself beyond strength and you notice a drop in activity, that should be the wake-up call that says, ‘Hey, I need to stop,’” Trasolini said. “But it’s hard for an athlete who is working towards a goal, especially when it doesn’t give them immediate satisfaction.”

Proper nutrition and adequate recovery time are essential in stopping overtraining syndrome. It’s also essential to have coaching and support staff who can recognize the warning signs that may appear in the whole lot from resting heart rate to blood pressure.

Arciero also recommends that any top-level athlete who has gotten where they’re largely through single-minded focus hunt down activities that provide a way of purpose outside the arena.

“It could be knitting, reading or doing art,” he said.

To that end, Manuel began her own foundation to assist expand swimming to Black communities and other groups which have been largely excluded from the predominantly white sport in the U.S.

He’s not trying to seek out the next Simone Manuel. He just wants to reveal more people of color to the lifestyle and show them how much fun it’s to spend a day in the water.

“We won’t see more diversity in sports unless it starts from the grassroots,” Manuel said. “Swimming should be something really positive in the Black community, but historically it hasn’t been.”

Bowman, who left Arizona State in April to hitch the famed University of Texas swim program, continues to work with Manuel as she prepares for trials, though it is a more long-distance relationship lately. She remained in Tempe to do most of her training under Behm, who replaced Bowman as the Sun Devils’ head coach.

Manuel is in a a lot better situation than three years ago. She got married at the end of last 12 months. He swims fast again.

“When it comes to swimming, I have always taken care of my body, but I just learned that breathing is really important,” Manuel said. “It’s really important to not just tune into your body, but really listen to it.”