For Simone Biles to be able to brave the Tokyo Olympics after her decision to quit was, in itself, an act of courage. Several media reports and pundits had their say on her action, but only a few realized how significant her move was from an athlete’s perspective.
While she was actively surrounded by ardent fans and supporters who stood by her no matter what, something was amiss. The Olympics had already been one of the most peculiar ones to date, with COVID-19 protocols essentially isolating the athletes from fans and their loved ones. For Biles, this just added to her feeling of loneliness while she battled her stance internally.
In her recent Netflix documentary, ‘Simone Biles: Rising’, she opened up on how it felt like to finally wrap up and return home after the Olympics. While she welcomed the joys of reuniting with her family and friends, she couldn’t help but feel a dip in her mood.
The creators followed her back home two days after the Tokyo Olympics came to an end. While she anticipated all sorts of reactions, it was pleasantly surprising to see how her fans welcomed Biles with loud cheers and applause, showing off their support. But the GOAT confessed:
“After the Olympics, you just go into, like, a depression. It’s like a post-Olympic depression. You feel so alone and you can’t get out of that rut…but deep down, like to me, it wasn’t done.”
Several elites chimed in to empathize with Biles’ decision at the time, be it her coach, Laurent Landi, or esteemed journalist Céline Nony. They commended her stable thinking and awareness and how she knew herself enough to pull out when she felt it could get dangerous. Nony explained:
“It’s easier to understand when a gymnast is injured with broken leg…you have empathy because you can see the problem. For Simone, it was invisible.”
And thus came a barrage of comments and tweets online, either in support of or criticizing her decision to quit at the last moment. Biles had to push through a sea of these to make it to her gym once again. But amongst this, she had a huge support group.
Simone Biles credited her girls for her comeback
At a time when the gym felt like a place she wasn’t familiar with anymore, practice sessions were a lot more difficult than she thought they’d be. After a few years since the Tokyo fiasco, Biles made a few stray appearances at her home gym, jumping around to see if she still had it in her.
Throughout this, her core group of the World Champions Center gymnasts had her back. Joscelyn Roberson revealed how they’d constantly communicate about Twisties and feeling lost mid-air. And while Biles hated going back since she had to work hard to make sure she wasn’t vulnerable in front of the girls, she was grateful for them.
She recalled how they’d ask her to come back the following day, and she wouldn’t disappoint them. Eventually, Biles found her groove back, and while she’s still taking things slow and easy, she now seems more confident about her skills.
