The aftermath of the Tokyo Olympics was, as expected, quite significant for Simone Biles, who made the heartbreaking decision to quit midway. Several came in wondering the real reason behind her struggle and what caused the GOAT of gymnastics to back off.
Such was the reception of the decision that it almost drew conversations about her quitting the sport altogether. Amidst all the noise and chatter, Biles was also puzzled about navigating through this historic moment in the Olympics and her career.
Her talk of Twisties – a condition gymnasts suffer from where they face a glitch in body-brain coordination that could lead to serious injuries – paved the path for similar discussions. How far does an athlete need to go to prove their worth for the country? Several fellow sportspersons came in to support and back her up, empathizing that the pressure they all carried at the Olympics was no joke.
Yet, through all this chatter, Biles sat down to talk about how she truly felt about her decision on her Netflix documentary. Being hit by a post-Olympic depressive phase, she saw her confidence in herself diminishing day by day while she actively sought help in the form of therapy.
“After Tokyo, I literally had not one ounce of belief in myself. You just don’t know if you can do it again.”
Biles’ struggle to get back to normal was not a one-day journey that had a linear progress line. She still had her ups and downs and heavily leaned on her friends, family, and therapy for support. The comments never stopped and while she knew she had to grow a thick skin to not let them affect her, she still wondered if it was all over.
“I was like, ‘Is this really how my career ends? That’s tragic’.”
The pressure on athletes has always been on the extremes, to the point that they’d push through injuries and go to extreme lengths just to continue with their performance. Biles’ decision at the time came as a warning for those who didn’t pay attention to their limits and for those who suffered the agony of millions of eyes glued to them.
Gymnastics elites explained why Simone Biles was justified in her decision
Since the 90s, gymnastics has been a sport that drew awe from a huge group of audiences. Young teens battled it out on the vault, powered through injuries, and showed off their skills despite being in pain.
Elites Betty Okino, Dominique Dawes, and Dr. Onnie Willis Rogers recalled their days as young gymnasts and how tough it got for them. Okino, in particular, fought through the pain of elbow surgery just to compete on the vault.
Looking back at it, Dawes exclaimed that not only were the conditions harsh towards athletes, but they also weren’t any options to speak up against the conditions. They could either compete with the injury or move away to let others grab the spotlight. Now that Biles acted as a trailblazer, they believed it would lead to better conditions for athletes.
