Israeli swimmer Andi Murez, who has just completed her third Olympics, won’t have the chance to explore Paris. Instead, she will head almost immediately to Minnesota to start her residency in psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic, arriving a bit late.
Murez aims to create a mental health program for all of Israel’s national teams. Given the current situation in the Middle East, she believes now is the right time to address these needs.
David Marsh, a technical advisor for Israeli swimming, said, “After the war, there will be a huge need for support in addition to sports stress.” He praised Murez for her achievements in swimming and her career goals, noting her growth as a confident and impactful individual.
At 32, Murez specializes in sprint freestyle and competed in the 4×100-meter mixed medley relay preliminary heats at La Defense Arena, though her team did not advance to the semifinals. She was also Israel’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony, making this her only event in Paris.
Reflecting on her experience, Murez said, “I think I wake up every day in the village and think how fun this is and how much my life is about to change in terms of schedule.
It’s just been really fun. It was such an honor to carry the flag. I think I just received so much support from Jews around the world, from Israel back home. I’m just trying to enjoy every day.”
While balancing medical school and professional swimming, Murez graduated from Tel Aviv University in spring 2023 after taking a break to train for the Tokyo Olympics.
The Israel Athletics Association frequently discusses the need for mental health support, and everyone is excited for Murez to lead these efforts. She has already started a research project and hopes to see mental health checks integrated with athletes’ annual physicals in the future.
In addition, Murez plans to translate an International Olympic Committee mental health survey into Hebrew. The survey covers various aspects of well-being, like mood, sleep, eating habits, and substance use.
She said, “Looking at the elite athletes on national teams and just sort of creating a baseline of mental health for Israeli athletes because nothing like that really exists right now, so I feel like that would be a good starting point.”
Murez got permission from the Mayo Clinic to start her residency later than originally planned, so she could finish her Olympic participation first. She is thankful for this support and plans to visit family in Los Angeles before heading to Rochester.
Murez graduated in 2013 from Stanford with a pre-med background. She finds that her studies offer a needed break from swimming and competition, and provide perspective that if one area doesn’t work out, she has the other as a backup.
She said, “This year while I was training, being able to leave the pool and just think about other things and do other things, just being able to step away and think about something else really helps me.
It was very crazy that I was in medical school and in the Olympics and doing both, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend such intense passions in two different areas, but I do think there’s something about having balance.”
Murez raced in a relay with current Stanford swimmer Ron Polonsky, one of the athletes she hopes to influence positively.
Polonsky said, “It’s amazing. It’s always nice to have someone experienced you can look up to for advice. I would be happy to work with her; the more (mental health focus) the better.” Murez has also developed her own “coping strategies,” mainly relying on her experiences.
