Most-decorated Olympian Michael Phelps, 27, is thinking about improving hisgolf game and traveling. Gold medalist Victoria Pendleton, 31, is lookingforward to getting married and doing "normal stuff." Misty ElizabethMay-Treanor, 35, is carting her beach volleyball gold medal home to focus onfamily.
As the London Games come to an end, some 30-odd retiring Olympians face thedaunting question — what's next?
For world-class athletes who have focused their lives on training, their nextOlympian task has no direct path: Readjusting to a routine outside competitivesports and creating a new life that may or may not involve the limelight.
The challenges have given rise to a small field of advisers who specialize inhelping retiring athletes cope with what can be an abrupt change.
"These people have a strong Olympic identity; they see themselves only asathletes. Unless they have good friendships and connections outside of sport,it can be quite painful," says Misha Botting, a sports psychologist at theSportScotland Institute. "Most experience a low-mood state after the gamesbecause it's such an exciting event."
As gold medalists, Phelps, Pendleton and May-Treanor have endorsement andcoaching possibilities far beyond most top-level athletes, thousands of whomwill be leaving London without a medal to gild their careers.
Some retiring athletes can suffer depression, according to retired Olympicgymnast Craig Heap, although he told The Associated Press that he was"quite pleased" when he stopped competing at 29.
"I was looking forward to my retirement. I had achieved my best and waslooking to start another chapter of my life," said Heap, now 39.
Going back to a normal life may run more smoothly for athletes with a day job.But for those who have never worked, the task might be more challenging. It'shere that self-described "performance lifestyle advisers" can helpthem develop careers outside the sporting world.
"We go through their future plan of career, their skills," said GaryPenn, an adviser with the English Institute of Sport. "We look at theirCVs (resumes), help them apply for work. Sometimes we do mock interviews forpotential jobs."
All these practical tips can help sportsmen or sportswomen find a new career,but Penn said careful preparation and realistic planning are essential.
"Athletes tend to neglect that part," he said. "My biggest fearis that they only focus on the Olympics goals and don't think about what comesafter. When they do, it's too late."
As awareness about the challenges of the transition spreads, initiatives tosupport retiring athletes are growing. Heap is a mentor for the DKH legacytrust set by British Olympian Kelly Holmes, which provides guidance to eliteathletes as they move on to another career.
When Heap quit, he said, there was nowhere to turn for help like this.
"I had to find my own way," he said. The ex-champion stayed in thesporting world by organizing gymnastics workshops in schools.
Academics can be key. Penn said well-educated athletes can often end up inmanagement, business or banking.
But sometimes, no matter what their background, Olympians have failed to adaptto their new life as retired athletes. Others have come out of retirement, likeAustralian swimmer Ian Thorpe. And a debate is currently raging over whether ornot Phelps will stop competing for good.
But coming out of retirement is a move that never tempted Heap.
"It's great fun competing for the Olympics," he said. "But thepublic in front of the TV doesn't see the six hours of training a day, thepain, (and) the injuries."
