Olympic medallist volunteers on free psychological support team at Canada Games

An Olympic medallist is volunteering with a new psychology services team to help athletes work through any mental health concerns they have at the Canada Games.

"In my experience, what you see at the podium at these high level meets are usually those competitors that have that mental edge. They're confident and resilient," Chantal Van Landeghemsaid Friday.

The Winnipeg swimmer speaks from experience: She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics and smashed records at the 2015 Pan Am Games in100-metre freestyle swimming.

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Van Landeghem, who will start her master's degree in psychology at the University of Manitoba this fall, said sport psychology can help give athletes a crucial mental advantage.

"We as athletes always take care of our bodies physically. We get a massage, we go to doctors appointments, but I think it's just as important to care for our minds," she said.

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At the Canada Summer Games in Manitobathis year, athletes have sought services from her team for everything from lack of confidenceto nerves before big races to facing pressure from a hometown crowd.

It's not uncommon for top performers to face more serious mental health issues as well, such as depression and anxiety, Van Landeghem said.

"Part of high performance sport is there's going to be ups and downs. Nothing ever goes perfectly," she said.

Part of Van Landeghem's strength on the psychological services team is that she knows exactly what the Canada Games athletes are going through, she said. She raced in the Canada Games in 2009.

"I think it definitely helps. Hopefully it lends a little bit of credibility to me," she said.

Van Landeghem hopes the young athletes leave this year's games knowing that as they progress through their athletic careers, they need to prioritize mental health.

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Athletes are taught to push through pain and that can compound the stigma around asking for help with psychological problems, she said.

"I want to eradicate that stigma around mental health," she said. "It's something that I'm passionate about."

The Canada Summer Games wrap up on Aug. 13.