Michael Phelps is speaking about the mental health struggles athletes face in a new HBO documentary.

The Weight of Gold, which premieres today, highlights Olympic athletes who have grappled with the highs and lows of competing on the world stage.

“There are so many of us out there that really are struggling,” the swimmer told Today‘s Savannah Guthrie in an interview.

“It took five Olympics for me to really see it,” he added. “I think me being in the mental state that I was going into 2016, allowed me that opportunity to be open to have the interactions that I had with the other athletes, and that led me to believe that there are others who are struggling and struggling very, very hard.”

When asked why Olympic athletes, specifically, suffer from such mental health issues, Michael responded:

“I think it’s just the journey that we go on,” he said. “As kids growing up, we see this thing of being an Olympian and winning a gold medal, and we don’t see the bumps that you go through or could have as an Olympian. Over the last five years, I’ve really been able to open up and share my experiences, and I’m so thankful that we were able to have a half a dozen athletes, or more, stand up next to us and talk about the same struggle.”

Thanks for sharing your story, Michael. And we’re eager to watch the film. It’s so needed now!