Kyle Chalmers feels like leaving the Commonwealth Games, overwhelmed by false reports of being in a love triangle with fellow swimmers.
Chalmers says it took all his tenacity to swim the 100m freestyle heats on Sunday morning in Birmingham.
"For me, it took every little bit of courage to get out of bed this morning and stand on the blocks and race," he told reporters.
"I want to be on a plane home and be done with it all.
"It is very, very overwhelming and upsetting.
"I don't want any of this.
"I love being part of the Australian swimming team, I love standing in front of big crowds and swimming fast.
"But for me, it's taking too much of a toll on my mental health."
Chalmers on Saturday night blasted media reporting of his relationships with fellow Dolphins Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson.
He dated McKeon last year but they split up, with McKeon now dating Simpson.
Chalmers labelled reports of a rift in the swim team because of the so-called love triangle as "honestly, just a load of shit that is not true".
He said he was questioning whether to continue swimming.
On Sunday morning, he again spoke of the toll on his mental health.
"It has been the hardest 12 hours in my sporting career," he said.
"Injury, family issues, things like that that can go wrong, it's in your control.
"Things like this, it's out of your control.
"It is extremely hard and extremely challenging, especially when you are on the other side of the world and don't have your direct support network around you."
His mother was in tears when Chalmers spoke with her on Saturday night.
"It embarrasses me that my grandparents have to read the stuff that gets put in the media, it upsets me that I have to go home to my mum crying on Facetime," he said.
"To have words put in my mouth and false information spread, trying to create cracks on the team ... I have never had a rivalry with anyone.
"I get along really well with my rivals. I get along with my teammates."
Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe advised Chalmers to stop reading the media.
"Talking about going from the hero to the villain," Thorpe told the Seven Network.
"We're talking about someone that doesn't feel as though they're in control of the narrative around their own story.
"The things that I have read, and saying that you're at breaking point, rock bottom kind of area, this is concerning.
"When he says he's almost at breaking point, it's almost as though it's the straw that broke the camel's back."
