In 1968 Canada's Elaine Tanner stood at the edge of the Olympic swimming pool in Mexico City, not knowing what lay ahead of her outside the water. 

Tanner, 17 years old at the time, was better known as 'Mighty Mouse' for her short stature and unrelenting determination in the pool. 

At the time, the world record-holding teenager was Canada's best chance at a medal in the '68 games – and she felt the expectations of the nation weigh on her. 

"A lot of pressure was squarely upon my shoulders," said Tanner, now 72, from the shore of Okanagan Lake in ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç. 

Instead of gold, she came home with two silvers, in the 100m and 200m backstroke, and a bronze in the 4x100 m freestyle relay. To most, this would seem like a success, but to Tanner, this was the disappointment of a lifetime. 

Still sopping wet from her gold medal loss, Tanner described how she was swarmed by reporters on the pool deck asking her how it felt to lose on such a big stage.

"After losing at the Olympics, I blacked out," said Tanner.

"I felt like a stranger in my own body."

Leading up to the Olympics, she said her entire identity was a hero and a force to be reckoned with in the pool. As a young girl, she dreamt of standing on the Olympic podium, but her aspirations became clouded by the desires and expectations of others as her success in the pool mounted before the Games, winning gold medals and world records at major competitions. 

"People start to grab onto your secret. Then, it becomes the country's aspirations."

Mighty Mouse had to hold back tears from the second-step podium during the awards ceremony, feeling the disappointed eyes of a nation on her. 

Once back home in Vancouver, she broke down. Without the protection of her teammates and the support of the country cheering her on, Tanner felt like she was worthless.

"I was nothing"

After retiring from swimming Tanner said she "free-floated" for years and lived without purpose. She went through the motions of being a wife and a mother but felt emotionally numb and isolated

For her entire life before the games, water had been her "safety zone," and winning had been her goal. Now, she struggled to find purpose. 

One day in 1988, in the midst of a divorce and while living out of her car, Tanner walked down to the ocean and looked out into the waves. 

"I just thought, what if I just let the ocean take me?" 

Thankfully, a little voice in her head said: "Don't give up."

Now, looking out over Okanagan Lake and with the wisdom that comes with being a grandmother, Tanner knows that there is more to life than athletics. She works to help other athletes work through pressure and teaches them how to learn from, not drown, in failure. 

"It's less (of) you against your competitors. It's more you against you."

"You have to manage your mind."

Tanner wants to send love to all the athletes competing in Paris, especially Summer McIntosh, who is currently the age same as she was on the pool deck in Mexico, back in 1968. 

McIntosh has already won two medals at the 2024 Games – a silver in the 400m freestyle and a gold in the 400m individual medley. 

While Tanner paved the way – or to use a swimming analogy, created a slipstream – for other athletes to follow by breaking world records and putting Canada on the map as a swimming powerhouse, she also hopes to inspire athletes to take ownership of their mental health.

Tanner knows the sacrifices, focus and dedication it takes to compete on the world stage. To prepare for the Olympics, her entire world was in the water with twice-daily pool sessions plus weight training and other therapies each day. Tanner said there was no time to think about anything other than winning. 

Now, athletes have better access to mental health resources, and Tanner encourages them to do what they can to invest in their minds as well as their bodies. 

She encourages athletes to think about who they are outside of their sport, even when training takes up most of their time and energy.

"You are more than a one-dimensional person," she said. 

She said the medals and trophies are only symbols.

"The memories are what stay with you."

To anyone who comes short of their mark, Tanner says: "There can only be a shadow if there is a light that shines behind. There are better things to come." 

"The best moments come from going through the process."