NEW ORLEANS, Louis - BYU track and field's Dustin Williams and Clayton Young participated in a panel on Olympians and their mental health, put on by the National Athletic Trainer's Associate (NATA) as part of the organization's 75th Clinical Symposia and Expo.
Williams serves as the USA Track and Field co-head athletic trainer as well as the head trainer for the BYU men's and women's track and field/cross country teams. With his involvement with the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Williams will enter his fourth time working the Olympics and third as head or co-head athletic trainer. As part of his responsibilities he oversees all track athletes for Team USA, which includes 140 competitors.
"I think that the most important thing that helps us is having trust," said Williams, speaking to other trainers about working with athletes. "If you don't have the trust, the athlete is not going to listen to anything you're going to say. That takes time to build that trust. I think the key component with that is hoping that they understand that you're going to be in their corner, whether they are on the podium or down in the dumps, wherever they're at."
In addition to fellow United States Olympic/Paralympic Committee (USOPC) members, Olympic athletes Clayton Young, Emma Coburn and Vashti Cunningham provided insight into the importance of addressing mental health as athletes on the world stage.
"Inside I'm jumping for joy because this [mental health] is such an important topic for us athletes," Young said. "There's so much focus on our performance, but our mental health is just as important."
Young will compete for Team USA in Paris later this summer in the men's marathon. The BYU track and field/cross country alum discussed his journey through overcoming a knee surgery at the start of 2024 that sidelined him from the sport for months. He opened up about the struggles both mentally and physically that accompany Olympic-level athletes and the importance of surrounding oneself with a support network.
"I remember navigating with Dustin Williams, my athletic trainer, as well as others to make that decision [to get surgery], and that was tough," Young said. "That was the first time I remember really navigating the emotions of a big injury. One of the best resources that I had was one of my training partners, Conner Mantz. I remember back in 2020, when we were both trying to make our first Olympic team in the marathon. We both got injured and that's where our relationship started ... not only of accountability but also motivating one another. He's someone that understands me best. I think everybody should have a Conner Mantz in their life. Find your Conner Mantz to help you through the highs and lows of mental health."
Williams will resume trainer duties at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track and Field Trials this week, before heading to Olympic Games in Paris next month. Young and Mantz are both set to compete in the Olympic Marathon on August 10.