Simone Biles
The summer Olympics, one of the world’s most highly anticipated events , is watched by millions of people. The world enjoys watching the entertaining sporting events that represent and highlight talented individuals from all over the globe. Underneath the excitement , however, the pressure these athletes undergo to train and compete in a competition that represents their country often goes unrecognized by the spectators who cheer them on. Simone Biles, a 24 year old US competitor, considered to be one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, came to the Tokyo Olympics with the eyes of the world on her. In the 2016 Rio Olympics she received a total of 5 medals, 4 gold and 1 bronze, so the expectations and pressure on her were exceedingly high. In a stunning and inspiring turn of events, she withdrew from the team finals, the individual vault and the individual uneven bars events. Biles decided to withdraw from the events because she needed "to do what’s right for [her] and focus on [her] mental health."
Simone Biles attributes her battle with mental health to the pressure cooker environment she trained in throughout her formative years in gymnastics. The pace of this environment only increased as Biles grew up. Entering the Tokyo 2021 Olympics as a 5 medal winner, Biles was expected to compete at the same level or even outperform her Rio Olympics performance. Such high-stakes expectations only added to the high pressure environment Biles was always surrounded by and ultimately contributed to her mental health struggles. In addition, she was one of the many athletes who was a victim of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse. Her courageous act of sharing her story inspired many individuals to speak out about abuse in their life, and to join the fight for justice with this issue. She attributes the anxieties she developed to the abuse she experienced in her developmental years. Biles explained that during the time period when many gymnasts were sharing their stories, she developed severe depression. In an article for Vogue, she remarked, “At one point I slept so much because, for me, it was the closest thing to death without harming myself. It was an escape from all of my thoughts, from the world, from what I was dealing with. It was a really dark time.”
During the team finals of the 2021 Olympics, Biles performed her vault routine and experienced the “twisties,” a dreaded phenomenon that gymnasts sometimes experience when their mind fails to control their bodies as they move through the air. Such an experience can be very scary for a gymnast, especially one who is performing high-intensity vault moves like Biles, that can easily lead to severe injury if done incorrectly. After her chilling vault performance, Biles made the courageous decision to withdraw from her remaining events, despite the weight of the world’s expectations. She said that“[gymnasts] have to protect [their] mind and body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants [them] to do.” Biles' decision to put herself first, though daunting, was received as a truly inspirational act by the world and other athletes. Rather than looking down on Biles as weak or incapable, people viewed her withdrawal as an act of courage and strength. It is important that people who have large platforms are able to speak out and share their stories so that society can move away from the negative stigma surrounding mental health. Biles showed that, despite her impressive accomplishments, she is still human, and sometimes she needs a break, just like everyone else.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/08/03/simone-biles-wins-bronze-her-most-powerful-mental-health-quotes/5452785001/
https://www.vogue.com/article/simone-biles-cover-august-2020
https://www.flogymnastics.com/articles/5046322-womens-worlds-team-defying-the-norm-is-sixteen-no-longer-the-peak