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Griffin Colapinto, the 25-year-old American surfer bound for the Paris Olympics 2024, shared his views on mental health and underscored its importance in a recent interview. Emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness, Colapinto stated (via Fox News):
"Whether you’re a professional athlete or not, mental health is paramount. the freer you are thought wise, the better you surf. I think one of the biggest things for freeing your mind is recognizing whatever thought it is that is challenging you."
Ahead of his big outing of the season in France, Griffin Colapinto took the initiative to help his community with mental health struggles, for which he was among the 20 Olympic and Paralympic athletes who received a $24,000 grant from Athletes for Good.
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He was rewarded the grant as a result of a joint initiative by Procter & Gamble, the IOC, and the IPC to felicitate athletes working for the betterment of others.
Colapinto has donated the amount to To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), a non-profit organization working to help people dealing with mental health struggles.
Colapinto hails from San Clemente, California, and has represented the United States in numerous surfing events, including the 2023 Rip Curl World Surf League. He had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023, when Colapinto won the Surf Ranch Pro and finished second in multiple events like the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach and the Surf City El Salvador Pro.
Furthermore, he also earned his ticket to the Paris Olympics 2024 the same year in July through his number one World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour at the time.
Griffin Colapinto shares his thoughts on competing in the Paris Olympics 2024
Talking about his 2023 performance that earned him a ticket to the French Summer Games, Griffin Colapinto said (via Olympics.com):
"Each year has been better than the last. To work on myself and my mental aspect, it's been a really big part of my progress in the last few years."
He added that by getting clarity on negative thoughts without attaching to them, he can look at the positive side of the tunnel by getting over these mental obstacles.
Griffin Colapinto is now gearing up to ride the barrels in Teahupo’o on the island of Tahiti for the Paris Olympics. If he manages to win a medal at the French event, then he will become the first American male surfer to win a surfing medal at the Olympics and the second American overall after Carissa Moore.
