Depression not just rampant in swimming: Oly champion Spitz

Ian Thorpe's much-publicised battle have prompted many to believe that success and depression often go hand in glove in swimming, but nine-time Olympic champion swimmer Mark Spitz feels the psychological disorder today is not just limited to his sport but rampant in other disciplines as well.
The multiple American Olympic champion was here as one of the academy members of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Talking about Australia's retired swimming star Thorpe, Spitz said he could understood the problems faced by the latter after having won a bagful of medals over the years.
"I can understand why he may have been depressed, he probably didn't complete his career in the way he wanted it to. I think Ian (Thorpe) didn't have a chance to gracefully retire and a lot of athletes don't retire gracefully, they hang around for one too many years and then they start to not do as well," Spitz said ahead of the 15th Laureus World Sports Awards here last night.

The 64-year-old Spitz from California, a former world record holder, won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and the achievement stood intact until fellow countryman Michael Phelps clinched an unprecedented eight gold medals at the Beijing games. However, the records he had set in all his events in Munich, still stands.
"Well Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz were able to win multiple medals but by and large most people who swim have won one medal.
"And there are people who are having tremendous depression problem like in the NBA, the basketball players suddenly get traded because they didn't have such a good year, they get salary reduction and pretty soon they are not even playing basketball, they never got an education, they don't have the expertise to go to some other field and then they become frustrated," Spitz said.