The past few weeks have been full of athlete retirement news. For example, Michael Phelps retired from swimming after winning 22 Olympic medals. However, this isn’t a permanent decision: Phelps unretired in 2022 and competed at the Olympics again.
Many athletes find it difficult to adjust to life after their sport and struggle with finding their self-identity outside of the sporting world. This can be especially true for elite level sportspeople, where their identity is often tied up with the performance of their sport. A recent study by Dr Francesca Cavallerio (Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University) found that when athletes retire, they are often still identified as their former sport.
In addition to finding their new identities, athletes also have to cope with the effects of retiring on those around them. Parents, partners and coaches are affected by this change for different reasons. For example, parents lose the routine of going to competitions and having a reason to support their athlete. Partners also lose their partner and they may have to find a new way of spending time together.
Fortunately, there is a solution for all of these issues: athletes can take their time and ease into retirement by gradually changing their habits. For example, they can start competing less frequently or do training sessions that are shorter and less intense than they used to be. These adjustments can help them transition to a new lifestyle and adapt to their new upcoming environment.