Max Whitlock: Olympic champion felt like 'complete failure' after retirement thoughts

The three-time Olympic gold medal winner contemplated quitting the sport after the Tokyo Games.

He said his accomplishments didn't matter because he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

The 29-year-old said he was struggling with his mental health after he lost his focus and motivation.

He said he didn't think he'd feel that way.

He won two gold medals and a bronze in Tokyo in 2021. He has four European Championship golds and four Commonwealth Games golds.

He decided he was done with the sport after a few weeks off.

After talking about his issues and thinking about the example he wanted to set for his three-year-old daughter, he has decided to target the Paris Games in 2024.

He said that he has always looked forward and has never looked back.

It didn't matter because I was focused on my next target.

I felt like a failure because I couldn't see that clearly.

After taking a break from the sport after Tokyo, he is back in training and ready to compete at the World Championships in August.

'It's important to speak to people'

He felt lost after the Tokyo Olympics.

He said that he lost motivation for everything after falling into a rut. I didn't feel well every single day. There was a place where I didn't want to go.

I got a blood test to make sure I wasn't faking it. The blood test came back clean. It was all in my head, that proved to me.

He felt like a waste of space when he sat in his home and got upset while talking to his wife. While he did not know how he was feeling, he and others around him were concerned.

He said that a lot of people say it. I don't believe I've been that person. I have always been the one who kept it in and kept going. I've done that for a long time.

I started to realize how I was feeling when I started talking to my parents more.

'It would have been quitting not retirement'

He said after Tokyo that he was ending his gymnastics career.

It was the thought of explaining the decision to his daughter in the future that convinced him to continue.

He said it wouldn't be retirement. It will not be just stopping because of that. It would be the last thing it would do.

It would be obvious toWillow that I am doing something. If I told her I had done this and that and stopped after Tokyo, she would probably ask why I stopped. I don't want that to happen because I'm afraid of failing in Paris.

Max Whitlock with his daughter Willow
Max Whitlock says his daughter Willow gives him a new perspective

A return to the gym

The Paris 2024 Games are being targeted for more success. He will become the first gymnast to win four Olympics on the same apparatus if he wins a medal on the horse.

Being back training after a year away has been difficult, but he is aware of the challenge that lies ahead.

He said that any time off takes a long time to return. I'm really excited for the challenge. I feel a lot better. I think the fear of failing has gone since I almost reset everything.

At the moment, the nerves have dissipated. I'm done with the weight on my shoulders and I'm going to come back.

There are new reasons. I'm doing it for someone else. I would love for everyone to come out to Paris and see the sights.

If I can make a fourth Olympic Games, I want to see where I can go. I want to prove to myself that I can do it, and also to show a message to willow to never give up.

The fear of failure has helped me move forward without it. There would have been a point where the whole thing would have crumbled.

Helping others

He wants to help other athletes feel like he did.

He said it was a big impact on him. That's massive. I didn't think it was true. I feel like I've seen some benefits of going through that stage, now I feel like I've come out the other side of it.

It's so common that I would like to help athletes. I would love to help other people who are going through the same thing. I want to see if there are ways that I can help people when I'm not myself.