Competing at the Olympics – the highest level in sport – is every athlete’s dream. Paige Madden lived out that dream at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she won a silver medal as part of the 4x200 freestyle relay team. This, in addition to being a standout swimmer and 5-time individual NCAA champion, would have made for an impressive career had Madden chosen to retire after physical and mental struggles left her off the 2022 World Championship team. But her love for the sport brought her back, and she’ll return from Paris with two more Olympic medals to her name.
Mental and Physical Battles
Following the Tokyo Olympics and her graduation from The University of Virginia in 2021, Madden began training professionally and quickly became overwhelmed with the idea of her identity being so heavily defined by her athletic performances. She’d always been a student-athlete and had obligations outside of sport, but suddenly swimming became everything.
To further complicate the picture, Madden began to experience debilitating symptoms brought on by a pre-existing autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. This condition impacts thyroid hormone levels in the body and can cause exhaustion, fatigue and depression, among other things, which make even daily tasks difficult for most. Add in training as a professional swimmer and coming down with the flu just three weeks before attempting to qualify for the 2022 World Championship team, and it’s no wonder that Madden struggled.
Time to Reset
After failing to make the Worlds team in 2022, Madden took an extended break to get her mental and physical health back in check and focus on other aspects of her life. She moved to England, where she went to Loughborough University to pursue a masters degree and found her way back into the pool. “I was motivated to come back to swimming because of my love for the sport. I didn’t want to end my career on the sour note I felt in 2022, so I was determined to find my passion again,” Madden recalls.
And that’s just what she did. Rather than focusing so much on the outcomes of her performance, she learned to fall in love with the process. “I came back with vigor and changed my relationship with the sport,” Madden says, noting that she came to understand how the day-to-day actions of training and the relationships she formed through swimming have shaped her into the person she is today. “I think knowing that made going to workouts so much more enjoyable and took the pressure off of defining my career just on performance.”
“After taking an extended break, I came back with vigor and changed my relationship with the sport. I fell back in love with the process and developed an understanding of how the day-to-day and relationships I made built me into the person I am today.”
An Ongoing Battle
Though medication adjustments and taking time away from competition have gotten Madden’s Hashimoto’s under better control, it’s still something she will live with for the rest of her life. When asked about techniques she’s found beneficial for ongoing management of the condition, she points to the importance of mental health and the benefits she has found in seeing a therapist regularly.
“I’ve been able to manage my symptoms by prioritizing my mental health. The mind and body are so interconnected, so whenever I was struggling mentally, my physical symptoms would manifest,” she says. Madden encourages other young athletes who may be struggling with chronic illnesses or diseases to be aware of the mind-body connection and to take care of their mental health in tandem with their physical symptoms.
The Culmination of Hard Work
Madden’s journey to the Paris Olympics has been far from easy, but she’s proven that she can persevere when faced with challenges. Her first Olympic medal of the games came in the 4x200m freestyle relay, where she and teammates Claire Weinstein, Katie Ledecky, and Erin Gemmell took silver. A few days later, in the individual 800m freestyle event, Madden drew on her inner strength to find another gear mid-race and move into third place, where she fought hard to secure the bronze medal – her first individual Olympic medal. “Medaling at the Olympics is a dream come true. I was overcome with emotion because of all the hard work I put in to get there. I felt an immense sense of gratitude for the people who have supported me along the way,” Madden says.
Madden has written her name in the history books, with her 800m freestyle time of 8:13.00 clocking in as the fourth fastest by any woman ever in the event behind only U.S. teammate Katie Ledecky, Summer McIntosh of Canada, and Ariarne Titmus of Australia. But, to Madden, the Olympics is about so much more. She says that her favorite moment from Paris was after the 800m freestyle race when Ledecky invited her onto the gold medal podium to sing the national anthem. “Reflecting on that, my biggest takeaway is that the Olympics is so much more than a competition, it’s about camaraderie, determination, and pride for your team and country.”
By taking time to step back and recognize the bigger picture – that health and life outside of sport play a critical role in athletic success – Madden set herself up for her best Olympic Games yet. She leaves Paris with two new Olympic medals and, more importantly, a rekindled passion and appreciation for sport.
