The Weight of Gold

'The Weight of Gold' (2020) is a highly personal and gut-wrenching documentary covering a topic that is everywhere and rarely acknowledged in sports, mental health.

This film focuses on Olympians and their personal experiences and battles with mental health. I disagree with some other reviewers in that this film does not not say other highly successful individuals not in the Olympics do not suffer as bad or that Olympians suffer worse than anyone else. This documentary is made by Olympians to help shed some light on their own struggles, and is being made for future Olympians to help them with their own journeys as they chase their dream.

Narration and personal stories bring forth the widespread challenges members of the U. S. Olympic team face in their lives. Some have more sponsorships and post-Olympic opportunities while others do not.

This film can be tough for the viewer especially if they or someone they know has struggled with their mental health. And even in this film, Steven Holcomb, who speaks of his own personal experiences with other athletes ends up losing his own battle while this film is still being made.

This film is tragic and at times tough to watch if you can understand their mindsets. Since its release there has been progress made as Covid-19 has pushed mental health into the spotlight more but hopefully this film can at the very least serve as a teaching tool for all past, current, and future Olympic athletes regardless of their nation.

This may be the dooropener that every athlete in the world that every athlete should have or should have had in their years of active sporting. its a documentary on mental health issues in the top level of executing sports on top level, or olympian level, or as the layman journalist often say'' the proffesionals'' in sporting, and how life turns out when stepping down or retirement from the sport is a fact.

and the fact is that many people really hits headless into a brick wall when everyday life begins. ive been doing swimming, on a pretty tough level nationally with 22-30 hours of practice pr week, and i was far from talented and not birthgiven the genes and bodytype to become a great swimmer, but i did do it. when i quit swimming due to studies and work to make a living i didnt become depressed, but i lost a lot of friends, and became extremely introvert and more and more isolated due to that, loosing confidence, and as time went by i became more frustrated and despaired than depressed.

my conclusion have, as years have passed by, is that athletes, especially athletes on top level in individual sports are extremely nerdy, maybe the nerdiest of all humankind, and to be nerdy is often caused by some kind of latent mental health issues. im an old grumpy man today, married with children and grandchildren, none doing sports, actually they hate the thought of competing(maybe from their mothers side). but these day when children are detected by the environment of kindergarden and schools showing signs of , and /or being diagnosed with mental health issues, i have concluded and have been supported by school mates and sports friends in later years that i must've been an ad/hd'er and extreme OCD'er when growing up, keeping my symptoms under cotrol by practicing till fatigue made me sleep, and my life was completely automatized into wake up,eat train,school, eat, train, homework ,eat and sleep in a neverending clockwork of never letting the guards down. so imagine was i the only one being like that??

i guess serious athletes do have a loose screw inside ones temples, and should really be taken cared of and asked by their coaches and surroundings, how do you do today, every day as long as sports are the only thing that matters in life. mental readyness for later life experiences can be better managed if talked over during the active years.

its a good and comprehensive documentary, that actually couldve been even better if based on more factual findings, but the stories told by phelps and others are gutwrenching, and almost had me crying when viewing.so R.I.P to those who couldnt manage life anymore, and take care to all the rest of the worlds retiree's thats still alive and kicking. its a big grumpy recommend.

It's not exclusive to Olympic caliber athletes- any successful athlete-be it football, baseball, basketball, bowling, etc., to get to a level of top tier performances, when the end comes, you're left with a whole lot of nothing.

For that matter, top level scientists, researchers, academics, etc., to get to that level, you have to be singularly focused on a goal that consumes you whole.

The higher you climb in your particular field, the farther you find yourself plummeting when the end of that particular road ceases to exist. The key to success in most cases is to develop interests and friendships outside your area of expertise, away from those people and things that are hanging around solely due to your successes. The hard part is, finding those things and people because the person is so focused on the outcome they're not realizing how vital those things are until it's too late.

We are in desperate need of mental health care for all, not just olympians. We have homeless vets living on the streets facing the exact same crises of the mind that these Olympians face-the inevitability that what was your entire life is now over and coping with everyday life is an impediment.

While we're all missing out on this year's Summer Olympics due to Covid-19, this documentary is well needed.

I never knew there was such a thing as "Olympic Blues" but it makes sense that it would happen.

I hope they can all get the help that is needed. I wonder how the rest of the world deals with mental health for their athletes.

Wonderful documentary; it really makes you think.

For those talking about how this documentary is all about Olympians just complaining, do remember that these atheletes won medals and international fame without complain for years and they were children back then, if they want to talk about how that changed them now, we should listen and make sure they get help. I think it was a great tribute to the team mates they lost. You could see how visibly disturbed they were along with the fear and relief of being next.

It had a very home-video vibe, made by a bunch of friends just so everyone can see their point of view especially young atheletes and their parents maybe, simulatenously asking for help themselves.