Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix proud of Olympics journey after revealing: ‘I didn’t want to be alive’

An emotional Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix spoke brazenly about her struggles along with her psychological well being and mentioned she reminded herself that she is “grateful to be alive” as she completed her Olympics sixth within the 10m platform closing.

Spendolini-Sirieix, who’s the daughter of TV persona Fred Sirieix, had beforehand revealed that she skilled despair and felt like a disappointment after her Olympic debut in Tokyo three years in the past, when she was 16.

Now 19, Spendolini-Sirieix took dwelling bronze within the synchronised occasion final week to win her first Olympics medal. Whereas she was emotional after lacking out on the rostrum in her particular person closing, Spendolini-Sirieix mentioned she was extra happy with her journey.

Spendolini-Sirieix mentioned in an interview with the BBC that she “didn’t wish to be alive” following her first Olympics and later defined: “After Tokyo it was a extremely scary time for myself. That’s why I treasure each morning.”

“Generally the Olympic medal isn’t every thing,” she mentioned “We’ve bought different issues that we actually needs to be extra grateful for, and people are the issues that we sadly take with no consideration.

“I’m genuinely not upset about my efficiency, and I’m not upset about the place I got here. My rivals did higher than me right now. It simply implies that I’ve bought much more that I have to do and that I have to work on.

“Not getting the medal right now doesn’t take away from the medal that I’ve acquired and the achievements that I’ve performed the entire three years since Tokyo.”

Spendolini-Sirieix contemplated giving up the game after Tokyo and marked her return to the Olympics with a resilient bronze with associate Lois Toulson within the girls’s synchronised 10m platform final week.

Spendolini-Sirieix was 16 throughout her first Olympics, the place she suffered via the “twisties”, the identical disorienting psychological block gymnastics star Simone Biles skilled on the identical Video games.

She didn’t hand over on the game and received a silver medal together with Toulson eventually yr’s World Championship earlier than claiming a memorable bronze in Paris on their try within the synchronised closing.

The 19-year-old mentioned having the assist of her household in Paris helped her to take pleasure in her second Olympics and believes she’s going to look again on her expertise with fond reminiscences.

“I really feel like I’ve grown as a human being, not simply as an athlete. And I believe that’s the Most worthy factor that diving has ever given me,” she mentioned.

“At present simply wasn’t my day. However I nonetheless give glory to God, as a result of there was some nice issues in there, issues that I actually, actually labored on. It simply pushes me to be hungrier for extra.

“I really feel like there’s plenty of struggles that everybody doesn’t see, and that we push via silently. You don’t simply see one efficiency and assume, oh, like they’re doing superb, like we’re all battling with one thing, one way or the other.”

In case you are experiencing emotions of misery, or are struggling to manage, you may communicate to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), e mail [email protected], or go to the Samaritans web site to seek out particulars of your nearest department. In case you are primarily based within the USA, and also you or somebody you understand wants psychological well being help proper now, name or textual content 988, or go to 988lifeline.org to entry on-line chat from the 988 Suicide and Disaster Lifeline. It is a free, confidential disaster hotline that’s accessible to everybody 24 hours a day, seven days per week. In case you are out of the country, you may go to www.befrienders.org to discover a helpline close to you