Home Health Gymnast Simone Biles’s Exit From Tokyo Olympics Highlights Prioritising Of Mental Health

Gymnast Simone Biles’s Exit From Tokyo Olympics Highlights Prioritising Of Mental Health

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The United States’s star gymnast, Simone Biles, has long been considered the greatest in the sport. Naturally, she was slated to win big at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, with all eyes on her to deliver a stiff competition to others. The American, however, withdrew from the women’s team finals yesterday, citing mental health concerns. In recent times, she is the second high-profile sports personality, after tennis player Naomi Osaka, to have spoken out loud about their mental well-being.

“It’s Just Not Worth It”

Image Credits: Instagram/siomonebiles

The gymnast, who has taken home the maximum number of medals in the sport, left the competition floor after finishing a routine. After she returned, it was announced that the 24-year-old would no longer be participating. The New York Times reported that Biles was afraid of getting hurt if she had continued. The gymnast mentioned that she would have powered through the situation a couple of years ago, but chose to take a step back in the present day. “Today it’s like, you know what, no, I don’t want to do something stupid and get hurt. And it’s just not worth it, especially when you have three amazing athletes that can step up to the plate and do it. Not worth it,” she told the reporters. 

The US Gymnastics Team Won Silver

Image Credits: Twitter/USAGym

Simone Biles cheered her team members as they went on to win silver, coming second to Russia; and though she had withdrawn midway, the gymnast, too, was awarded a medal. 

A formal statement made by USA Gymnastics supported her decision to focus on her mental health, adding that it would be determined later whether or not Biles would participate in the upcoming individual events at the Olympic games. 

Pressure At The Olympic Games

Image Credits: Instagram/siomonebiles

A candid Instagram post by the gymnast right before the finals stated that she was under an immense amount of pressure: “It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it. 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.” Simone Biles’s withdrawal comes weeks after Naomi Osaka famously exited the French Open. The Japanese tennis player had wished to skip post-match press conferences in order to prioritise her mental health but the request was not accepted by officials and she was threatened with a fine. Refusing to play by the “outdated” rules, Osaka put out a powerful statement announcing her exit from the tournament for the sake of her mental well-being. 

We Should All Be Prioritising Our Mental Health

Image Credits: Twitter/naomiosaka

The tennis star had earlier opened the Tokyo Olympics by lighting the cauldron and, as reported by several news outlets, has also been vocal about the pressure at the Olympics upon her elimination from the Games. 

Image Credits: Twitter/siomonebiles

At the height of the #MeToo movement in 2018, Simone Biles had opened up about sexual abuse and battling depression in its aftermath. The recent docu-series titled Simone vs Herself, shares Biles’s first-hand account of her being among the several gymnasts who had been sexually abused by Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor. Nassar is currently serving a life sentence on multiple charges. The docu-series, which was released in June this year, also had the gymnast speaking about a ligament injury in her foot and how it affected her. 

They’ve Begun An Important Conversation

Video Credits: Youtube/ Facebook Watch

Both women have, in rapid succession, brought the importance of mental health in the spotlight. In a time when hustle culture is assumed to be the norm, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka’s words give young people that much-needed encouragement to put their own well-being ahead of everything else. What Biles said in her conversation with the reporters rings true for all of us: “At the end of the day, we’re human, too, so we have to protect our mind and our body rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do. With the year that it’s been, I’m really not surprised how it played out.”

Lead Image Credits: Instagram/simonebiles

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