ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Before even thinking about going big on the slopestyle course, freestyle skier Nick Goepper had to work on something more important…
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Before even thinking about going big on the slopestyle course, freestyle skier Nick Goepper had to work on something more important — himself. The newly minted Olympic silver medalist cheerfully announced he’s “doing good” these days from a mental health perspective. That’s notable given some of the dark days he encountered after first climbing the Olympic podium, eight years ago in Sochi. “I’ve done a lot of work off the slope on myself,” Goepper said Wednesday after finishing behind teammate Alex Hall. “Even more work there than I’ve done on the slope.” As last year’s Summer Olympics approached, and then during the Tokyo Games themselves, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles and Noah Lyles were among the big-name athletes who unapologetically brought the subject of mental health, and the way it impacts athletes and the public, to the fore. Goepper, who had been outspoken about his own struggles long before that, said he appreciated that he had company. In years past, he had told about contemplating suicide shortly after Sochi. He entered a rehab facility. He said he alienated friends and family, then had to win back their trust.
