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Kyle Guy at the NCAA Finals Monday
When the bell rang at the end of the NCAA basketball final, Virginia Cavaliers fans celebrated their team's victory over Texas Tech.
But among the confetti, television cameras and cheering, Virginia's star player, Kyle Guy, scored a very personal victory.
The 21-year-old spoke openly about living with debilitating anxiety and the pressure of public visibility.
Virginia's victory led some to call the student athlete "inspiring".
Guy was elected finalist of the four finals and scored the three decisive free throws in the high pressure moments of the semi-final.
In April of last year, Guy issued a confession letter addressed to himself, detailing his fight against mental health and the pressure exerted to accomplish it.
"Everyone does not know it, but you take medication for your anxiety attacks all season, you kept it a secret because you did not want to be perceived as a weak person" he writes in an article on Facebook.
"They were not with you when you burst into tears in the middle of the practice and you did not know why, and despite that you kept pushing, they were not there every time your fiance [sic] helped calm you night after night, when the pressure seemed to eat you up, but you kept pushing. They do not understand that you could not smile during the second half of the season because anxiety and pressure were gnawing at you, but you kept pushing. "
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A few weeks later, after Virginia lost to a lower-ranked team last season, he wrote a follow-up letter.
He explained how the defeat and the death threats he had received had affected his state of mind.
"I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of sadness, anxiety and failure (…) .I sat in the shower and cried all alone", he wrote.
However, since he's talked about his fight, the basketball star has become the ambbadador for mental health awareness in college sport and, thanks to the support of his doctor and his family, says that his anxiety is under control.
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Kyle Guy kisses his fiancée Alexa Jenkins after the match
"It helps me to talk about who I am [going through]. It may not help everyone. That's why I wrote these letters, why I wanted to be a glimmer of hope for others, "Guy told USA Today in an article published Tuesday.
"It means more to me than anything I could do on the basketball court to help someone who is suffering."
"I do not pretend to walk in anyone's shoes but I know it's not easy sometimes."
In the NCAA finals this year, many social media praised Guy's openness and resilience.
"My message to people who are going through something, and I hope they've seen it with our story, with my story, is that when you're in a dark place, you can absolutely have it." "It's getting lighter," said the player. "The main thing is that you are not alone."
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