Olympic gold medalist Katie Moon brings mental health discussion to forefront in Akron

Katie Moon autographed programs, posed for photographs and even let some well-wishers touch her gold medal after she shared stories about her journey to track and field stardom.

But the reigning Olympic and world champion pole-vaulter hopes members of the Akron Roundtable audience who listened to her speak Thursday at Quaker Station left with more.

“I just want to show that it's not smooth sailing, even for people that achieved what I did,” Moon, who recently changed her last name from Nageotte after marrying husband Hugo on New Year's Eve, told the Beacon Journal.

“People see winning the Olympics and assume everything has to be perfect to make that happen and that things have to be perfect to achieve whatever goal they want to achieve. It's like, no, no. That's not how life works.”

A graduate of Olmsted Falls High School and Ashland University, Moon referenced several times when she encountered adversity — her father, Mark, died when she was 16 — or struggled with her mental health. Moon explained she initially attended the University of Dayton but fell into “a really bad mental spot with vaulting” and transferred to Ashland for a change of scenery.

Moon, 31, has been working through mental challenges tied to her sport ever since, with coach Brad Walker playing a vital role.

“I still had elements of that mental block that never really went away,” Moon said. “To this day, I still am kind of afraid to pole vault because of that, and [Walker] taught me how to think on the runway.”

Track and field journalist Dave Hunter moderated the conversation on stage with Moon and said he's impressed “she acknowledges the vulnerabilities that she does have.”

Moon said she crashed mentally, emotionally and physically after the Tokyo Games with “post-Olympic depression.” She said having a psychology degree from Ashland gave her the wherewithal to turn to a sports psychiatrist.

“It's OK to seek help,” she said. “That's normal, and it doesn't make you weak. If anything, I think it shows strength if you can admit, 'OK, I need to talk to someone.'”

Moon explained she experienced “brain fog” for about four months after contracting COVID-19 in December 2020. She said she benefited from Browns Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett openly discussing his trouble with the virus and its aftereffects.

All of it reminded Moon about the power of elite athletes using their platforms.

“It helped me,” she said, “and that's why if I can pay that forward to someone else, great.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Olympic star Katie Moon brings mental health to forefront