For four years, Jaleen Roberts shaped her life around one dream. A long jumper and 100- and 200-meter sprinter in the T37 division, track was Roberts's world, and making the Paralympic Games her ultimate goal. Training in Spokane, WA, everything Roberts did, every choice she made, came back to track. So in March 2020, when the Paralympic Games were postponed due to COVID-19, it felt like Roberts's dream was"ripped away.
Athletes stared down unprecedented challenges in 2020. There was the physical wear and tear of training for an extra year, resulting in injuries and issues like, which forced swimmer Simone Manuel from the pool for three weeks before Olympic Trials. Mentally, since the COVID-19 postponement,"many athletes have spent more time than ever in their heads," said Sean McCann, PhD, senior Sports psychologist for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee .
The Paralympics postponement was a"huge, huge contributor" to Roberts's mental health problems last year, she said. Her entire life revolved around track; when it was taken away, she lost her"sense of purpose."