We had to act like everything was fine: Raisman on mental burden of Olympics

Aly Raisman

Former American gymnast Aly Raisman has revealed that she and her teammates were expected to hide their mental health struggles and concentrate on winning until the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Talking about the pressure to perform, the six-time Olympic medallist told entertainment website, Hello Giggles: "When I was training, we weren't supposed to be vulnerable. We had to act like everything was fine and not show that we were struggling. I thought that was the way it had to be because that's what I was taught."

Recently, the mental health issue came into limelight after Simone Biles, considered as the greatest gymnast of all times, chose to withdraw from several Olympics events to focus on mental health. Earlier, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from French Open in June due to her battle with depression.

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