In 2021, Caragh McMurtry was selected to compete for Great Britain’s rowing team at Tokyo Olympic Games.
His place was just a reward for a brilliant race that produced multiple World Cup medals and the World Championship.
But behind the scene, Caragh* fought with a variety of interpersonal problems that caused cracks with teammates and coaching staff.
“I am very honest, forceful and direct to the grain,” she says.
“I think what made people difficult for me was my need to break everything … to understand ‘why’.
“I could not simply give something for granted, and that would rub the coaches in the wrong way. They would think they were undermining them or being funny.”
Caragh made his Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020. (Getty Images: Pa images/John Walton)
Caragh was upset by a “lack of transparency” in decision -making. She felt that some athletes were treated favorably based on how they could “promote” themselves, instead of objective criteria.
“I have a massive justice complex,” she says.
“It wouldn’t even necessarily be about me. If I saw something and it wasn’t right, I would really hang me.
“That should not be a problem if things are fair … but unfortunately, in elite sport, the system is very hierarchical.”
There were also sensory challenges.
In the gym, which Caragh calls an “infernal landscape”, music would be so strong that the floor shook.
Meanwhile, the only place where you could take refuge, coffee, or “crew room”, was overwhelmingly bright and full of strong smells.
“I wanted to take me to recharge, but then I would look like antisocial,” she says.
In retrospect, Caragh recognizes these challenges as characteristic of his autism.
It is a diagnosis that he did not receive until the end of his sports career, and only after being erroneously diagnosed for having a bipolar disorder.
Throughout his career, Caragh faced challenges that he now recognizes as characteristics of his autism. (Getty Images: Mark Runnacles)
This led to a severely disruptive period of five years in which Caragh was placed in several medications, including the mood stabilizer lithium, which hindered its performance and well -being.
She would go without victories during all this time, returning to the podium only after leaving her medicine to take money in the female four in the 2021 World Cup, before running in the eight female in Tokyo, where Britain were eliminated in the disgusting.
Now retired, and as the founder of the non -profit organization Neurodiverse Sport, Caragh, 32, is turning his passion for justice into a mission to ensure that other neurodivergente athletes not only survive their time in elite sport, but also “prosper.”
Critical autistic features for the success of Caragh McMurtry
Caragh has not always accepted his diagnosis as autistic:
“It made sense, but I thought, ‘I wonder what the people of that will think? Is something else distinguish. I have gone from bipolar to autism, wonderful.”
Over time, however, he realized that autism had been “defined by people who are not autistic.”
“I have grown with all the messages and stereotypes that everyone else had about autism,” says Caragh.
“But when I read about autism from the perspective of autistic people, it made me feel much better about it.”
Caragh says that autism is often defined and described by those who are not autistic. (Supplied: Caragh McMurtry)
Looking back in his sports career, Caragh now understands that autism was fundamental for his success as elite athlete.
The qualities such as their “obsessiveness, hyperfocus, attention to detail and patterns recognition” worked in their favor.
“To be an elite athlete, you need a pointed profile, you must be extreme in some way,” says Caragh.
Erin Hoare, psychologist and researcher with experience in neurodiversity, argues that people with ADHD and autism can have an advantage in elite sport.
“The examples of those who often speak are a preference for repetitive routines, the ability of hyperfocus about a objective and a rapid reaction to stimuli, for example, when there is a minimum time for decision making,” says Dr. Hoare.
“Their strengths could lead to a competitive advantage.”
Women and girls are not diagnosed, experts in ‘masking’
Dr. Hoare says that there is some epidemiological evidence that suggests that neurodivergentes are overrepresented in elite sport, although more research is needed.
This is partly due to the fact that the understanding of autism is developing rapidly and is still subgnose, especially in women and girls.
Erin Hoare is a psychologist and researcher with experience in neurodiversity in sport. (Supplied: Erin Hoare)
Dr. Hoare prevents this from gender biases in medicine and science more widely.
“Science has focused on a very specific demographic group throughout history, and that has generally excluded women, their experiences, ideas and contributions,” she says.
With ADHD and autism specifically, diagnostic criteria have been based largely on men’s experiences.
“Then we had diagnostic tools based on the experiences of men … and from that, an opinion came that ADHD and autism occur more frequently in men.“
Women, he says, are also experts in “masking” or “camouflating” their neurodivergencia, which means using “compensatory behaviors” to meet social expectations.
“The social consequences are also harder so that they do not meet these expectations. That in turn leads to the risk of not being diagnosed or erroneously diagnosed.”
Hoare is a former AFLW netball player and national level. (Getty Images: AFL Photos/Kelly defines)
With the initial erroneous diagnosis of Caragh bipolar disorder, she believes that what could have seemed externally resembled humor swings was a cycle of exhaustion and regrouping.
Autistic exhaustion is commonly understood as a state of mental and/or physical exhaustion that results from browsing an environment that is incompatible with someone’s needs.
“I just followed because it was, how, [rowing] It is my life: this is my obsession, this is all for me, and I need to find a way to make it work, “says Caragh.
He also believes that gender stereotypes played a role in the way he was judged by their behavior patterns:
“I don’t think my features would have been a problem [as a man].
“Some of the advice I got was that if you were in the male team, your honesty and frankness might seem passion. But you are in the women’s team, so you must learn to sweeten things.”
Caragh says that gender stereotypes played an important role in the way the characteristics of their autism were seen throughout their career. (Getty Images: Dean Mouhtaropoulos)
Caragh also felt that there was less space to rely on his sensory preferences, such as using noise cancellation headphones.
“I think it is more acceptable for men to do what they need, that they take care of themselves, “she says.” But for women, there is this pressure for us to settle.“
How to build more inclusive sports environments
Caragh now spends much of his time educating sports organizations on how to make their environments more inclusive.
This begins by explaining that not all neurodivergentes are the same and that trusting diagnoses or labels is not especially useful.
“Many people are not diagnosed, they don’t want to be diagnosed or have concurrent conditions,” he explains.
Caragh now advocates a “features” approach to the support of athletes. (Supplied: Caragh McMurtry)
Instead, he directs organizations to a “trait -based” approach to support their athletes.
This means recognizing that everyone, not only those who are autistic, have different styles of thought and learning, as well as sensory preferences.
“You can do a lot to help people, it’s just about being flexible, innovative and meeting people where they are.
“It is also about challenging their own assumptions and not putting people in boxes.”
Dr. Hoare, who is also former Netballr and AFLW footballer, supports this approach.
“The starting point is to speak directly with autistic athletes, work in a closer association and collaboration with them about their experiences and be curious about their worldview,” she says.
This “internal knowledge,” he says, is essential to “develop an environment where communication and sensory preferences are explored and accommodated.”
“Neurodergente people have incredible strengths and differences that are potentially an unleashed resource.”
*Caragh requested that we use his first name, instead of his last name, for this article.
