GASTALDELLO Beryl

General
DEPRESSION
At the end of 2017 she suffered a bout of depression and anxiety that resulted in her taking a five-month break from the sport. "My head was in such a panic that I did not understand what was going on. I could not even concentrate on people. I could not hold a conversation. I went downhill for real and I realised I needed to make some changes." In late 2019 she said she was still dealing with mental health issues. "Without a doubt, I am a very different person now. It's not over, it takes time unfortunately, but recently it's been much better. It's the first year in two years I've been swimming from start to finish. There are still days I struggle. Sometimes I'm in control, and other times it's complicated, but the scales are tipping more and more towards control. I have reduced my medication, I think I am on the right track. I consult a psychiatrist and a psychologist almost every week." (lequipe.fr, 23 May 2018; SwimSwam YouTube channel, 31 Oct 2018; archyde.com, 07 Dec 2019; isl.global, 19 Dec 2019)

VERSATILE
In December 2019 she won medals in backstroke, freestyle and butterfly events at the European short course championships. In mid-2020 she said she was still to decide which stroke would be her focus for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "I want to maintain this versatility, preserve it as long as possible, even if I'm performing at the highest level, I would no doubt have to make choices. For now, I don't want to close any doors. I will see how this second Olympic season [after the 2020 Games were postponed] will unfold. There will be lessons to be learned from my next short and long course competitions. This will then be the time to make choices." (tokyo2020.org, 16 Sep 2020)

US CITIZENSHIP
In 2014 she relocated to the United States of America to study at Texas A&M University in College Station. In December 2020 she said she was in the process of applying for US citizenship. "I was plunged into a culture that I like, but it is still not mine. I try to take the best out of both worlds. I began the paperwork to get residency in the United States and maybe dual citizenship. Let's say that I am 60% French and 40% American." (leparisien.fr, 09 Dec 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as a consultant for UniAthletes, a sports talent service that offers guidance to student-athletes and their families during the process of US university recruitment. (uniathletes.com, 07 Feb 2019)