Guy’s life started to make sense that year when he received a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
As a 28-year-old double Olympic winner, Guy looks back and realizes he was never broken. He was unique, that’s all.
In the UK, at least one in seven individuals are thought to be neurodivergent. This word refers to a person whose thought process is altered due to conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and autism.
While having a diagnosis has improved Guy’s self-awareness, not having one as a child had long-term consequences.
“At around the age of 15, I was put in study support lessons for extra help at school because I wasn’t the brightest guy in the world,” he told the news.
“I needed the teacher to explain things four times over to me so I could fully understand them because I had trouble understanding them.”
“I experienced exclusion. My friends would chuckle and make fun of me. They were my best friends, so I didn’t pay much attention to it, but it was really embarrassing.”
Guy thinks that not enough resources were available at the time to diagnose his news, despite the fact that his school was accommodating.