German walker Jonathan Hilbert suffered from depression after his silver medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo four years ago. He underwent psychotherapeutic treatment, Hilbert told Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk radio. "It was extremely crucial that I admitted to myself that I needed professional help."
After his success at the Olympics - the biggest of his career to date - he fell into a mental hole, said Hilbert. In addition, his showpiece discipline, the 50-kilometre walk, was removed from the Olympic program. The Thuringia native was unable to cope with the new 35-kilometre distance.
