‘Still the GOAT.’ Supporters rally after Simone Biles withdraws from Olympics event
Iconic gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Tuesday after citing her own emotional well-being.
“Whenever you get in a high stress situation, you kind of freak out,” she said after Team USA took silver in the event with the Russia Olympic Committee taking gold. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.”
“We have to protect our body and our mind,” Biles added, according to CNN. “It just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”
Fellow athletes, fans and media rallied around the 24-year-old Texas native, who many considered is the greatest gymnast of all time (“GOAT”), to show their support.
On Monday, Biles shared her thoughts on Instagram about preparing for the finals.
“I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha!” she said in the caption. “The olympics is no joke! BUT I’m happy my family was able to be with me virtually. They mean the world to me!”
The beloved gymnast follows in the footsteps of other superstar athletes who have recently come forward to shed light on their own mental health struggles, including NFL quarterback Dak Prescott and and tennis player Naomi Osaki, who Biles said inspired her to have the courage to focus on her own internal issues.
“I feel like I’m also not having as much fun — and this Olympic Games I wanted it to be for myself and it felt like I was still doing for other people — and that hurts my heart that doing what I love has been taken away from me,” Biles said, also adding that she and her teammates are “not just athletes, we’re people at the end of the day.”
“There’s more to life than just gymnastics.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 12:49 PM with the headline "‘Still the GOAT.’ Supporters rally after Simone Biles withdraws from Olympics event."