Mental health hovers over Olympics, on its way to mainstream

ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — At the Tokyo Olympics, mental health was the breakout star. Amplified by some of the world's top athletes, it shook up those Games and made everyone take notice.

Six months later, in Beijing, the conversation has evolved: The subject pops up regularly, but no one is shocked when it does.

Many athletes have spoken about their struggles, but often in a no-biggie, nothing-to-see-here way. A difficulty is mentioned, then the conversation moves on. After star gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of competition in Tokyo because she wasn’t in the right headspace, retired Olympic swimming phenom Michael Phelps memorably said that “It’s OK to not be OK.”

And now, thanks in part to people like Biles, it seems it’s OK to talk about it, too.

“I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned after the last Olympics is being as open as possible,” snowboarding sensation Chloe Kim told reporters after she took the gold medal on Thursday in the halfpipe competition.

It was Kim’s second gold at an Olympics. She initially threw that first one, earned in Pyeongchang four years ago, in the trash — a story that epitomizes the dissonance between the cheery face many champions show the world and the torments they face behind the scenes.

“After my last Olympics, I put that pressure on myself to be perfect at all times, and that would cause a lot of issues at home. I would be really sad and depressed all the time when I was home,” Kim told reporters after easily securing the top spot on the podium — but also failing to land a new trick she is working on.

“I’m happy to talk about whatever I’ve been experiencing," she said. "Honestly, it’s really healthy for me.”

It wasn’t just Kim who was talking about it. After snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who came to Beijing as the two-time...