There are times in all of our lives when we struggle with pressure, which rises exponentially as the stakes grow graver.
And then there is the added pressure of those who perform on the public stage.
In the Tokyo Olympics, gymnast Simone Biles abruptly pulled out, saying she wants to “focus on my mental health” rather than attempting her dangerous leaps and gyrations. A day earlier, she said on Instagram that “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times…but damn sometimes it’s hard.” I sympathize with her, but she let an awful lot of people down by just walking away.
Naomi Osaka, the world’s second-ranked female tennis player, lost badly to a Czech player ranked 42nd. Osaka, who was representing Japan on her home turf, said “I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this. I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year, was a bit much.” At least she went down swinging.