Simone Biles is proving nothing can hold back her excellence. After a two year break in her gymnastic career, Biles took to the floor in Antwerp, Belgium where she took back her title as the Greatest of All Time. Simone Biles has officially become the most decorated gymnast in history after her sixth win as World Champion.
Her return as the greatest proves that physical health is not just the prime concern of athletes. Simone had to step off the floor two years ago in Tokyo after suffering from what gymnasts refer to as “twisties” or when a gymnast’s body and mind are not aligned. But the twisties, while specific to gymnasts, is something that could be felt by athletes across many fields, courts, and stadiums.
In 2021, Biles stepped away from her beloved sport during a gold metal event in Tokyo. “Whenever you get in a high stress situation, you kind of freak out,” the 26-year-old told reporters. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.”
“I was like: I think the girls need to do the rest of the competition without me. They were like ‘I promise you’ll be fine, we watched you warm-up’. But I said ‘no, I know I am going to be fine but I can’t risk a medal for the team and I need to call it.
“You usually don’t hear me say things like that because I usually persevere and push through things, but not to cost the team a medal. So they were like: OK, if Simone says this, we need to take it pretty serious. I had the correct people around me to do that.”
At the time of her withdrawal, Biles was set to testify before the US Senate on the FBI mishandling of the tragic sex abuse that ran rampant at the hands of the evil and now incarcerated Larry Nassar. Biles called out “an entire system that enabled and perpetuated his abuse,” including USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/sport/simone-biles-tokyo-2020-olympics/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/opinions/simone-biles-gymnastics-world-championships-bass/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/06/1204379375/simone-biles-most-decorated-gymnast-history
