DMV athletes demonstrate mental strength to book their ticket to Paris

WASHINGTON, DC (7News) — The Olympic dream.

Many DMV athletes dedicate their entire lives to the hope of one day being able to be called an Olympian.

The sacrifices. The effort. The expectations.

As 7News Sports Director Scott Abraham discovered, sometimes it all gets too much and you end up becoming your own toughest opponent.

“I think most people don’t think about the psychological stress,” Phoebe Bacon, an Olympic swimmer from Bethesda, told Abraham. “That was actually the first year that I admitted to myself that I didn’t think I could handle the psychological pressure, and I finally sought help.”

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This has become an all too common issue among Olympic athletes. The Games only take place every four years.

Many athletes only have one chance to make it.

“I’ve been diving for over 15 years. It’s 99% mental and 1% physical,” said Oakton Olympic diver Greg Duncan. “The expectations of winning this or that can become a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”

Since turning pro last summer, track and field star Masai Russell has experienced the highs and lows of the sport. The hurdler from Upper Marlboro struggled at the Diamond League meets this spring.

But when the big moment came, Russell delivered in the US Olympic qualifiers. She won the 100-meter hurdles and secured her ticket to Paris.

“I knew it was a mental disorder,” Russell told Abraham. “It was really about looking at myself and saying, ‘Okay, you just need to let go and be the Maasai that you are.'”

Overcoming adversity, whether mental or physical, is always rewarding. The hunt for gold is now their next goal.

This DMV region will be well represented at the upcoming Summer Olympics. Over 25 athletes will compete in various sports in Paris.