What Makes a Champion: A Narrative Analysis of Elite Athletes' Storied Lives

Critical Pause: Athletes’ Stories of Lockdown During COVID-19

The Sport Psychologist ◽

10.1123/tsp.2020-0106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 43-54

Author(s):

Gabriella Whitcomb-Khan ◽

Nick Wadsworth ◽

Kristin McGinty-Minister ◽

Stewart Bicker ◽

Laura Swettenham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sport Psychology ◽

Narrative Analysis ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Return To Sport ◽

Future Research

This study explored the experiences of elite athletes during the initial stages of lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight recruited participants (three females, five males) were asked to tell a story of their lockdown experience. Narrative analysis was used to explore the athletes’ stories. The athletes’ narrative is best represented in four distinct sections: (a) threat to goals, (b) ongoing consequences, (c) overcoming COVID-19, and (d) adapting to COVID-19. Four narrative themes were also coconstructed from the athletes’ stories: (a) factors athletes found challenging, (b) loss, (c) strategies that benefitted athletes psychologically, and (d) silver linings. Combined, these findings suggest that the initial stages of lockdown are best described as a critical pause. The authors present applied implications for athletes and sport psychology practitioners. The authors also recommend that future research investigate the longitudinal effect of prolonged lockdown on athletes’ lives and a potential return to sport.

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Sporting Resilience During COVID-19: What Is the Nature of This Adversity and How Are Competitive Elite Athletes Adapting?

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.611261 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Sahen Gupta ◽

Paul Joseph McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Narrative Analysis ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Elite Athletes ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

Minimal Impact ◽

Positive Adaptation ◽

Global Health Issue

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health issue which has severely disrupted and deferred several landmark international sporting competitions. Like the general population, athletes have faced direct psychological consequences from COVID-19 in addition to cancelation of events, loss of support, lack of training, loss of earnings, hypervigilance, and anxiety among others. The aim of the present research was to identify the adversity experiences of athletes caused by COVID-19 (study 1) and explore the process of resilience used by competitive elite athletes for positive adaptation (study 2). Research has indicated psychological resilience to be a protective factor against similar adversities in the sporting context. The study uses an across-cases qualitative design comparing the real-time lived experiences of athletes during COVID-19 using narrative analysis. Data were collected from 10 competitive elite athletes from various countries, as part of a larger doctoral dissertation study during the lockdown period, using in-depth experiential interviews. Study 1 presents detailed narratives on the loss and incongruence, which were the two major adversities experienced. Study 2 outlines the process of resilience as narrated by the participants through the emergent and minimal-impact resilience trajectories. We discuss recommendations for interventions and the role of sports psychologists, coaches, and sporting organizations in ensuring athletes’ mental health and their rehabilitation into post-COVID sports life.

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