The first trailer for The Weight of Gold, an HBO Sports documentary narrated and executive-produced by Michael Phelps that examines the mental health obstacles Olympians face, was released Monday. The film, which the multimedia giant acquired the North American streaming rights for last month, will debut on HBO and be available via streaming on HBO Max on Wednesday, July 29 at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.
Unsurprisingly, given his role as narrator and executive producer, Phelps is featured prominently in the trailer, including both the opening and closing frames. Alongside several familiar Olympic faces, such as snowboarding legend Shaun White, figure skater Sasha Cohen, and speed skater Apolo Ohno, Phelps describes athletes feeling “lost” after the Olympics, stating “a good 80%–maybe more–go through some kind of post-Olympic depression”.
The film also includes interviews with gold medal diver David Boudia, Lolo Jones, Jeremy Bloom, Bode Miller, Gracie Gold, Katie Uhlaender, Linda Peterson (mother of Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, who committed suicide in 2011), and posthumously, Steven Holcomb (who died from a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol in 2017).
Phelps’ involvement in the documentary aligns with his continued openness about managing his mental health during and following his journey to become the most decorated Olympian of all time. In May, the retired superstar provided a raw account to ESPN’s Wayne Drehs on his mental health struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. Phelps is also a strategic partner with Talkspace, an online and mobile therapy company where users can speak with a licensed therapist remotely.
Here’s the trailer for The Weight of Gold:
@SwimSwam will this be available in Australia?
It’s not just the weight of gold. It’s the weight of any elite athletic career it comes to a halt after college, or injury, or age. Or Covid. Lots of athletes struggle mentally at the end of their careers.
But still there are things you need to make elite level & very very few people have had them . All of these ppl have had those & now they whine .
Imagine living your life being this unemphathetic and narrow-minded. When you see someone suffer, is always the first thing that comes to your mind is, “stop whining you puss”?
I would encourage you to be read and learn more about mental health. Anyone can have mental healthy issues no matter how much they have or what they have accomplished. I don’t think any of them are whining. They are talking about their experiences in an attempt to help others and heal. There is still an incredible stigma against mental health issues. It is commendable that so many athletes and others are sharing their struggles. Can you imagine how much a struggling swimmer can benefit from hearing that even Michael Phelps struggles. Knowing you are not alone in your thoughts and feelings is huge. These athletes are trying to make a positive difference. That is something that should be celebrated… Read more »
Always been fascinated with the psychology around what makes high level athletes tick and how that can be amazing yet so brutal to their mental health at the same time. So excited to watch this
“We’re human………I don’t think I have to say anything else!” Michael Phelps
The Olympic Movement needs to address human rights issues now. NOW! And …. the United States needs to take the lead on this for its 16 million athletes within the Olympic Movement. If this happens to our most decorated, think what happens to those who fall short. The exploitation of our young to perform on the Olympic stage is at what cost? Athletes, many who begin their journey as children depend on a system that treats them as whole human beings not marketable commodities.
So, sorry this happened to Michael. So grateful he found help before it was too late. Proud of him most for his advocacy.… Read more »