Simone Biles Overcomes Pressure and Criticism to Reach for Olympic Gold Again: The Story of a Gymnast’s Mental Health Struggles

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, recently experienced a moment of overwhelm and “the twisties” during the Tokyo Olympics women’s team event. Fearing for her mental health, she decided to withdraw from the competition and faced criticism from some who believed she should have pushed through.

In an interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast, Biles discussed her initial fear of backlash and concerns about being banned from America if she did not win gold. Despite this pressure, she later came back to win bronze in the balance beam but took a break from gymnastics to focus on her well-being.

Returning to the sport last year, Biles continued her successful career and became even more decorated with 33 overall medals in the Olympics and world championships. However, despite her success, she still struggled with “the twisties,” which caused a disconnection between her body and mind and affected her performance.

Biles described “the twisties” as a feeling similar to the yips in golf or baseball, where an athlete loses control during a move, leading to potentially harmful landings. Despite these challenges, she remains determined to overcome them and continue her successful career as she aims to compete at the Paris Olympics later this year.