The 'post-Olympic blues' is a well-discussed topic.
The anxiety, depression or other mental health issues that athletes can suffer from after the high-stakes competition wraps up is widely acknowledged.
Team Ireland were no different to other countries in setting up support structures, with many athletes discussing their own strategies before jetting out to Paris.
For former swimmer Erin Riordan, the months leading up to the Games were among the most draining of her life. The endorphins she anticipated never arrived, and she quietly slipped away from the sport afterwards.
2024 was a rollercoaster of emotions.
Born in Japan to Irish parents, Riordan had spent time living in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the UK. Her first time experiencing daily life in Ireland came in 2017 when she started college here.
After missing out on Tokyo, she gave it another shot to realise the Olympic dream as part of the 400m freestyle relay team that competed at the World Championships in Doha in February last year.
Ireland finished 17th in the rankings, agonisingly one place outside of qualification for Paris.
When the dream appeared to be over, she decided enough was enough, and retired at the age of 24.
However, Japan’s decision not to travel opened the door for Riordan, Victoria Catterson, Grace Davison and Danielle Hill to become the first Irish women's relay team to represent Ireland at an Olympic Games in more than half a century.
For Riordan however, the memories are bittersweet. Playing catch-up in the pool, the team finished eighth in their heat.
"Along the way you kind of forget why you’re doing it and it becomes 'I want to make the Games, I want to do this', as opposed to 'I used to love the sport and I used to love getting up at 5am'," she tells RTÉ Sport.
"It was difficult for sure. I think I kind of had a sour taste in my mouth from swimming even though I had this amazing experience and I’ll never forget that.
"I think I had already grieved that I wasn't going to the Olympics. And then two weeks later it was ‘Get back to Dublin, you might be going’. It was a big toll on the mind, more so than the body.
"You walk out and you’re like 'This is it, this is the moment'. And then you’re also like, 'Oh, this is it?' Two edges of a sword I guess."
The second swimming retirement was a final one, though the sporting void has been filled in different ways. She works full time as a documentation specialist with a pharmaceutical company and has signed up to run her first marathon later this year.
"I'm in the mind space of 'I want to enjoy sports'"
Competitive sport, and indeed the water, drew her back in however. Triathlon was considered, but once water polo came across her radar, she soon found herself back in the pool.
Having never played ball sports, or team sports, the curiosity and challenge proved too hard to resist and she threw her lot in with the St Vincent’s club.
"It was a bit humbling at the beginning, going from the Olympics to being the very worst on a team that has 14-year-old girls on it, but good fun all the same," said Riordan.
"I’m in the mind space of 'I want to enjoy sports', first and foremost to be doing it because I want to be there. The Olympics was a heavy mental and emotional toll on me. I wanted to take a break from that."
She was called into the senior cup team, a member of the side that recently got the better of Galway’s Tribes in a cup final decided by penalties.
"I was more of a minor role, but I got a bit of game time and in the next few seasons I’m going to keep going, see where we can go.
"I didn’t realise how physical the sport was. People are wrestling each other in the water but it's almost refreshing to see that in a women’s sport because that’s not how we’re 'meant' to behave I guess. But it is very physical, very aggressive in the water."
There is now a contentment she could only dream of 12 months ago, a balance she struggled to get right during her swimming career.
Water polo and running are her hobbies now, but there is a willingness to try out others.
"Something I always knew coming out of swimming is that I can’t just stop activity altogether," she says. "I think I get quite down if I do. So I picked up all these sports, I’m just trying everything out.
"Before, I used to work my life around my sport, whereas now I’m working sport around my life. It’s a different dynamic for me."
