Appearing on NBC’s Today Show after competing in the balance beam final at the Tokyo Olympics, in which she won a bronze medal on Tuesday, American gymnast Simon Biles, who had withdrawn from numerous prior events and cited suffering from the “twisties,” stated, “It means more than all of the golds because I have pushed through so much in the last five years and the last week while I’ve even been here. It was very emotional and I’m just proud of myself.”
She addressed critics who had slammed her after her prior withdrawals by asserting that the biggest misconception about her mental health issues was “that I was at no risk and mental health isn’t a serious issue, that it was basically a copout. … But the girls saw me in training, my coaches saw me in training. I physically couldn’t do [my routines] safely and it’s because I was getting so lost in the air. Before team finals, the girls were terrified for me. And they’ve never really been scared whenever I do something, but they were really nervous,” according to the Daily Mail.
“I was really nervous,” Biles said of the balance beam final. “I didn’t really care about the outcome. I was just happy that I made the routine and I got to compete one more time.”
Speaking about any future attempts to compete in the Olympics, she stated, “I definitely am going to take some time and let this Olympics sink in because I don’t [feel] like I did that after 2016. So I’m going to let this sink in. … We’ll just see.”
USA Gymnastics tweeted after the balance beam final, “‘Leading by example. Simone Biles closed the show with a bronze at the Balance Beam final. The GOAT got it done. … All smiles for Biles! What a showcase of perseverance and strength, closing this Olympics campaign with a bronze medal!”
Leading by example ✨
Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) closed the show with a
🥉 at the Balance Beam Final today! #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/rsIRIinvtp— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 3, 2021
The 🐐 got it done. @Simone_Biles returns to win bronze on beam. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/oFe4MH3cMl
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 3, 2021
All smiles for Biles! 😄
What a showcase of perseverance and strength, closing this Olympics campaign with a bronze medal! 🙌 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/Esivi6RRJa
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 3, 2021
Biles pulled out of the prior events last week, citing suffering from the “twisties,” in which the brains of gymnasts and divers lose connection with the body, and the muscle memory that has been built in by years of practice suddenly fails.
Last week, wanting to give evidence that what triggered her decision to withdraw from the team final and the individual all-around was a genuine physical issue, Biles posted videos of her practicing on the uneven bars and crashing to the mat when she attempted a dismount.
Biles addressed her critics by writing on the first video, which showed her landing on her back, “For anyone saying I quit. I didn’t quit, my mind and body are simply not in sync. As you can see. I don’t think you realize how hard this is on hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health. I’m supposed to do 1 ½ more twists.”
In the second video, showing her landing on her feet and then falling, Biles wrote, reacting to claims she should have left the competition earlier, “Almost there but not quite. Still have ½ twist to go. No, this was not happening before I left the USA. It randomly started happening after prelims competition the VERY next morning. By that time NO an alternate was not allowed to be placed in my position for you ‘know it alls.’”
“We have 4 on a team for a reason,” she continued. “I chose to not continue competition in jeopardizing losing a medal (of any color) for the girls/US. Also for my own safety and health.”
On her IG stories, Simone Biles responds to people who think she “quit” on her team by explaining the “the twisties” she’s been experiencing and what it feels like “not having your mind and body in sync” …. pic.twitter.com/79hN973rkd
— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) July 30, 2021