Yorkshire Olympian Jordan Houlden reveals how he overcame ADHD medication shortage to excel in Paris
The 26-year-old from Parson Cross represented his home team City of Sheffield Diving Club in Paris this summer, eclipsing the great Yorkshire diver Jack Laugher by finishing ahead of him in the 3m springboard.
Short of getting on the podium, it was a stellar Olympic debut from this likeable young man, and one he accomplished despite concerns about his condition lingering in the background.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHoulden has always been open about his symptoms, giving a rather candid interview to The Yorkshire Post 18 months before the Games about how he belatedly confronted the problems he was having with losing focus in training sessions.


His acceptance that he had a problem and the subsequent diagnosis proved a shackles-loosening moment in Houlden’s athletic career.
He medalled at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the European Championships in the summer of 2022, and continued building towards his impressive Olympic debut in Paris.
But that was achieved with a potential dark cloud hanging over him when on the eve of the Games it emerged there was a worldwide shortage of the medication he takes, for which he has a TUE (therapeutic use exemption).
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“For the past three or four months there has been no stock available of the medication I need. Especially in the lead up to the Olympics, trying to get some was challenging,” says Houlden.


“I think I ended up ringing 42 different pharmacies to get some and then there was one that actually had some in Scunthorpe.
“At that point it was 4pm and the pharmacy closed at 6pm. It takes an hour and a half to get there so I was pushing it but I needed them, so I had to go and get them.”
Going into a first Olympics with medication concerns at the back of your mind is never ideal but Houlden managed the situation admirably. “I needed two doses to get me through the full Olympics but I worked out if I took them through the weekdays and then not at the weekends around the Games then it would work out that I just had enough through the Olympics to take one every day. That helped me.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAnd he certainly delivered on an experience that he felt became more of a mental challenge as much as a physical one as he negotiated his way through the preliminary round and then the semi-final.


“My goal was to get to the final and once I achieved that and it started to sink in that I was in the final of an Olympic Games, then my thought process became I’ve never done this before, why not make the most of it,” Houlden tells The Yorkshire Post. “It becomes more of a mental game than a physical game because you’ve worked so hard competing in the prelims and semis, that you’re a bit tired for the final and it can be a bit mentally draining. It can put a lot of stress on your body as well.
“Okay, I didn’t win a medal, but I came fifth which I’m blown out of the water by. Top five in the world is a great achievement.”
Within six weeks of returning from Paris he was back in the gym working out and two weeks later, back in the pool at Ponds Forge, building towards LA 2028.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“I’ve been aiming for consistency throughout my routine rather than high scores for individual dives over the last two or three years, and because of that my consistency has been moving on an upward trajectory and I’ve just been getting better and better,” he reflects.
“Hopefully that consistency will continue going up on the journey to Los Angeles.”
And all this without the medication that has meant he has been able to manage his symptoms for ADHD.
“I don’t have many other coping mechanisms,” he admits.
“Listening to my mum or listening to my coach I’m okay with, it works for me in day to day terms but it does affect me. If I let people know I might not be on it today, they know that my attention might shift to something else without them noticing it.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIf there are any other athletes struggling with what Houlden has been battling, he has reassuring advice.
“It’s nothing to shy away from,” he says. “Nowadays there are a lot more people getting diagnosed with it.
“I just went through life thinking I was fine but my mum always suspected I had some form of ADHD, yet I never got tested until I was 21/22. Having that diagnosis has definitely helped me. Even if you think you might have it, the best thing you can do is get tested and maybe take some medication that can help you.”