ADHD at The Olympic Games
Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower at Paris 2024
ADHD is a superpower.
It gives boundless energy, intense focus – and the creativity to adapt at lightning speed. Maybe that’s why ADHD is a common thread among so many Olympians. Maybe it’s a competitive advantage – the superpower that unlocks the highest levels of competition.
It’s not all smiles and sunshine, medals and milestones. Outside of sport and creativity, the world isn’t always so welcoming or easy to live in for people with ADHD. The very thing that makes them so powerful can also make tasks that seem easy to neurotypical people feel impossible.
It can be as isolating and frustrating, as it is awe-inspiring. Those brains, wired like nobody else’s, are busy places. Just running an ADHD brain for the day is utterly exhausting – and not everyone understands the kind of daily mental exhaustion that people with ADHD can feel from just existing.
But put them in sport, athletics, creative and expressive arts – and the ADHD brain lights up. Feel-good chemicals, neurotransmitters and hormones flood their systems. They mentally and physically transform, operating on a totally different level of focus and performance.
See? It’s a superpower.
And as you’ll probably already know from the All Aboard ADHD Podcast and blog, my son Zane has ADHD. Whilst my daughter Lola is newly diagnosed with ADHD as well.
And they’re both incredible young athletes.
Zane is an aspiring golfer and squad swimmer. Lola a strong gymnast and squad swimmer too.
We were lucky enough to be at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was hugely inspirational for both of my sporty kids. They were even luckier to meet with some of Team GB, and even get some photos with real life Olympians! And while the memories will last forever, it was an eye-opener about the link between athletic prowess and ADHD.
Our Olympian Experience
Team GB swimmers James Guy and Adam Peaty both have ADHD. By total coincidence, Zane has crossed paths with both of these amazing athletes in his own swim training; he did a swim clinic with Adam last summer, and happened to share the pool with James at visit to Millfield. So, it was incredible to be in Paris and watch them swim.
Zane at Team GB star Adam Peaty’s swim clinic
Zane and Lola were incredibly lucky to meet lots of athletes at Team GB House, who talked about their time at the games – and even had the chance to hold their medals!
Lola and Zane meeting Team GB Olympic heroes
Olympians with ADHD
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. She has ADHD and has gone on record to say that ADHD is "nothing to be ashamed of and nothing that I'm afraid to let people know".
Olympic swimmers Adam Peaty and James Guy, both have ADHD. Adam only revealed his diagnosis in 2023 after speaking openly about his struggles with mental health.
Noah Lyles, 100m Gold medallist at Paris 2024, shared this powerful message on his Instagram after his win:
Noah Lyles says ADHD "does not define what you can become"
Michael Phelps – the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals – has ADHD. So does Michelle Carter, THE three-time Olympian who made history in 2016 when she became USA’s first-ever female Olympic shot put champion.
Team GB gymnast Louis Smith, who won silver and bronze medals on the pommel horse across three Olympic Games, has ADHD.
The list goes on and on… And not just in Olympic sports. Neurodiversity is a common thread that ties the highest performing athletes together, from footballers to swimmers to gymnasts. But why?
Because ADHD is a superpower. And we need to reframe and reclaim it as one.
For too long, the stigma attached to ADHD has weighed down our best and brightest. But when we lean into it and give these beautiful brains the tools and outlets they need to thrive, something magic happens.
When we find their thing, they flourish.
You can see their vibrant, passionate, true inner self come out. They demonstrate compassion and sporting spirit by their nature, because a sense of justice is sewn into the fabric of their being.
ADHD is a gift when it’s understood and nurtured. It’s our kids’ most powerful asset. But understanding it isn’t easy. It’s been with me my whole life. Zane’s journey with ADHD sent me all-in on understanding it.
And it’s my mission to share that knowledge and experience with everyone, so that we can inspire the next Simone Biles, the next Michael Phelps – and support the families who are doing their best to help them thrive.
Lean into ADHD.
Listen to the All Aboard ADHD Podcast – where I speak with some of the most prominent figures in neurodiversity, and the real-life superheroes whose ADHD journeys have inspired my own.