As the most decorated gymnast in history, Simone Biles is indisputably one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, and millions have already been watching with bated breath her triumphant return to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
She has the countless fans and growing list of metals to prove it, however, in addition to well-deserved praise for her athleticism, the Olympian has in recent years also been celebrated for being a vocal advocate for mental health.
Arguably at the height of her career, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021, the Ohio-native shocked the world in announcing she was withdrawing from the competition, for the sake of her mental health, and a two-year hiatus followed.
Now she's back, and not only better than ever, but also solidified as a crucial champion of mental health. "I worked on myself a lot, I still do therapy weekly, and it's just been so exciting to come out here and have the confidence I had before," she said on CNBC last year.
Revisit her inspiring journey below.
© GettyWhy did Simone leave Tokyo?
Though Simone had begun the Tokyo Olympics with her usual excellence, while performing on the vault on July 28, 2021, sports commentators noted she seemed to look lost halfway through, and she unexpectedly barely aced her landing.
It was subsequently announced that she was withdrawing from the competition. A statement on the USA Gymnastics' Twitter account read: "After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health."
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It maintained: "We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many."
© GettyWhat are the twisties?
Part of Simone's struggles with her mental health was a condition called "the twisties," an anxiety-related phenomenon common among gymnasts.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, twisties are a type of mental block, "a brain-body disconnect that causes gymnasts to lose their sense of space on flips." Sports psychologist Matthew Sacco explained: "The brain and body are no longer communicating efficiently, and that causes a gymnast to lose sense of where their body is in space while they're in the air."
© GettyMORE: Inside Simone Biles' tight-knit relationship with lookalike sister Adria Biles
The phenomenon, which can be caused by things such as stress, perfectionism, or doubt, can eventually lead to dangerous mistakes, such as failed landing, and therefore painful injuries.
© GettyWhat has Simone said of her mental health journey?
Speaking with Olympics.com some months after Tokyo, Simone confessed she initially didn't set out to become a mental health advocate, out of concern that she had yet to overcome her own struggles to be able to help. "That was the hardest part because speaking out on mental health, I knew that I could have the possibility of becoming an advocate for that. But it wasn't my goal. It's not what I really wanted," she said.
© GettyHowever, she has since embraced being a role model. "I think that's what we're trying to portray in these shows, that we're human as well, not just athletes," she noted of her new approach to competing, adding: "I hope young women take away that it's OK to not be OK. You can speak up for what you believe."
Addressing young gymnasts, she emphasized: "It's OK to kind of be shot down. Sometimes, it's how you get up and pick yourself back up and that women are strong alone. They don't really need anybody else. But I just think it's really powerful and the strength that you see in this show — hopefully, girls can walk away with that."
