Lots of “gifted” children are essentially left alone with their problems and often didn’t get the education they needed, e.g. to learn how to actually put effort into learning. Someone with more willpower or something might have pulled through, but children generally need parenting and education to learn that kind of thing and chances are pretty good that their parents, schools etc. just failed those children.
IDK your exact story, but I think this idea that it’s entirely their own fault if they don’t succeed seems like the exact kind of mental pitfall that “burned-out gifted kids” would fall into.
Conversely, injuries often happen because the athletes don’t do things that are known to mitigate injuries, such as specific strength and mobility exercises, or are just pushing themselves too hard; though I assume that the education of young athletes in that area is usually lacking, too.
I feel like a typical anglophone witch wouldn’t care terribly much about ancient Greek gods.