Aussie gymnast's hard road to the Olympics after drug addiction, THREE severe knee injuries, mental illness and the death of his good mate

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There is no pain barrier Aussie Olympic hopeful Clay Stephens can't smash through. The gymnast has already been to hell and back ahead of Paris.

Stephens recalls waking up in the shower, covered in vomit and blood. Struggling with depression and anxiety, he often drank heavily and abused Oxycodone during his darkest times.

Though he never tried to take his own life, he admits to engaging in 'risky activities.' Three years later, Stephens is happy, healthy, and aiming to compete in the Paris Olympics.

The 26-year-old will participate in the Oceania Championships in Auckland on Sunday, hoping to secure a spot on the Australian Olympic team in artistic gymnastics.

Clay Stephens is hoping to overcome a wretched run of injuries and prescription drug addiction to find a place on the plane to the Paris Olympics

The Aussie gymnast will compete at the Oceania Championships in Auckland on Sunday for Olympic qualification

Stephens had dreamed of competing in the Tokyo Olympics, but those hopes were crushed by a third ACL rupture. Living alone on campus at the University of Illinois during COVID-19, his life spiraled downward.

'I was in such emotional and mental pain,' he said. 'You go, 'What can fix this?' and then you do it [take Oxycodone while drinking alcohol] and you don't have to worry about anything because your brain's not thinking about anything. It's an escape.'

From 2017 onwards, Stephens spent four years mostly on crutches, undergoing six knee surgeries. 'I'd get off the crutches for two months and then I'd tear my ACL again,' he said.

He returned just in time for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he came close to winning a medal. However, a few months later, tragedy struck when his close friend Josh took his own life.

He recalls 2020 and 2021 as the lowest point in his life. 'I was physically isolated, socially isolated, and geographically isolated from my family,' he said. 'It was isolation in every sense of the word.'

Stephens was going on reckless adventures with no care for his wellbeing at the height of his downward spiral. He still loves an adventure, but takes a more cautious approach now

Stephens is burning to make the Oympics squad after missing out on Tokyo because of an ACL tear

Stephens was prescribed Oxycodone for his knee pain but hardly used it. As a result, he had six bottles of the medication on hand. 'I was stuck in my own place. I'd hobble down, get someone to grab me a case of beers, and I'd be dropping these pain meds with beers.'

'I wasn't suicidal, but I was very active in pursuit of risky activities. It was a period of risking it all and seeing what happens.'

'It's very difficult to get out of a place that you don't want to get out of,' he said. 'I found a lot of comfort in being unhappy for a while.'

Stephens eventually accepted life's unpredictability and chose to take the risk to be happy. 'Having all of these low moments forced me into reflection, and I've found a place where I'm enjoying and understanding the importance of every single day.'

Looking at the Olympic Games now, he strives for it just as hard as ever, but tries to enjoy each day more than the last.