Medal ceremony for the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Anna-Maria Wagner wins two bronze medals in judo. One in individual, one in team competition. The 25-year-old thus crowns the most successful year of her sporting career. Because only a few weeks before she became world champion.
When she returns to Germany from Tokyo, she is welcomed by family and friends. “Then it was only nice for two weeks, then you did this and that. There were honors, and then, yes, then nothing.”
She falls into a hole. After five intensive years, including qualifying for the Olympics, Wagner is physically and mentally exhausted. She suffers from what is known as “post-Olympic depression”.
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The athlete feels listless, she sleeps badly and no longer enjoys sport. The rest of the happy nature often sheds tears. “Well, I’m very, very sensitive even on bad days. Then when I talk about things, I might cry.”
Help from sports psychologists
It’s a good thing that the top athlete doesn’t have to fight the difficult battle for her mental health alone. “Thank God I was lucky that I had the sports psychologist and also a small, great environment, you helped me a lot through the time and were always there for me.”
At the end of 2021, she feels the worst is over. Wagner wants to start the new year full of energy. Then comes the next setback. She tests positive for Corona.
“That really pulled the rug out from under my feet. There I go in my apartment. I hardly got out of bed for the first seven days. I just lay there and didn’t do anything because I was just so sad and mad that this start of the year started out so crappy.”
Doubts about competitive sports
Anna-Maria Wagner ponders a lot. You think about quitting competitive sports altogether. “Oh, maybe it shouldn’t be anymore. I’ll just stop doing it. Maybe I feel better about that because it really knocked me back. Then I really thought: What would it be like to stop?”
But she has been training again since mid-January. Although there is still a lack of enthusiasm, the training at least structures their daily routine. She is trying to find fun in judo again. At the end of March she wants to be back on the competition mat.
“But I don’t put any pressure on myself. I let the training continue, I try to increase it and just see how I react to it. And if everything goes well, then I will definitely be at the start. But if I feel like I’m not 100 percent behind it or I’m not 100 percent fit, then I won’t do it.”
It is not yet certain where her sporting journey will go. But maybe that’s not important at the moment. Because the recovery of the Ravensburger comes first.
