Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympic finals due to her mental health and a case of the twisites, according to NPR.
Gymnasts describe the twisties as a terrifying phenomena when the gymnast gets lost in the air while rotating. It can be incredibly dangerous and lead to death or paralysis. Biles had a case of the twisites while performing on the vault. Afterwards, she made the decision to withdraw and focus on her mental health.
“Once I came out here [to compete], I was like, ‘No, mental is not there, so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself,’ she said.
“I was like, I think the girls need to do the rest of the competition without me. And they were like, ‘I promise you, you’re fine. We watched you warm up.’ And I said, ‘No. I know I’m going to be fine, but I can’t risk a medal for the team, so I need to call it.’ And you usually don’t hear me say things like that, because I’ll usually persevere and push through things — but not to cost the team a medal. So they were like, ‘OK, well, if Simone says this, then we need to take a pretty serious.’ So I had the correct people around me to do that.”
Biles noted that she did not have any physical injuries and wanted to keep it that way.
“No injury, thankfully. And that’s why I took a step back, because I didn’t want to do something silly out there and get injured.” She added that the girls on her team stepped up and are now Olympic silver medalists. “And they should be really proud of themselves for how well they did last-minute, having to [adjust].”
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Biles received support from the likes of former First Lady Michelle Obama and The Root writer Michael Harriot.
Of course, some people from the racist set couldn’t wait to criticize Biles and call her weak. Piers Morgan in particular couldn’t wait to show his racist a** upon learning the news and made disgusting comments on Twitter about her letting down her country and teammates, despite the fact that she withdrew in part to help her teammates.
After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition. 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. pic.twitter.com/6ILdtSQF7o
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 28, 2021
It’s amazing that women get called “emotional” when I have never seen more men throwing tantrums about Simone Biles.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) July 28, 2021
Simone Biles won nationals w/broken toes in both feet, worlds w/a kidney stone, and has carried the burden of being a face of sexual assault survivors as a national institution failed to support them
Half of y’all yelling about “toughness” can’t handle wearing a mask in Wegman’s
— Kavitha A. Davidson (@kavithadavidson) July 27, 2021
It is pretty wild how people who are complaining that they can’t breathe with a piece of cloth on their face expect Simone Biles to maybe break her neck for America
— Imani Gandy (@AngryBlackLady) July 28, 2021
Am I good enough? Yes, I am. The mantra I practice daily. @Simone_Biles, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you. Congratulations on the the silver medal, Team @USA! 🎊
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 28, 2021
People criticizing Simone Biles realize that she had to fly through the air, sometimes upside down, and land on her feet and if she doesn’t she could die, right?
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) July 28, 2021
“America has always asked Black people to give everything we’ve got and then give what we don’t have. Biles’s courageous decision is helping us all build a new muscle, helping us put one simple word at the top of our vocabulary: no”#SimoneBiles https://t.co/qdIXhwie8l
— Casey Gerald (@CaseyGerald) July 28, 2021
*NEW COLUMN*
Sorry Simone Biles, but there’s nothing heroic or brave about quitting because you’re not having ‘fun’ – you let down your team-mates, your fans and your country.https://t.co/gxNC7kOMN2 pic.twitter.com/eIlZsqqRHo— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 28, 2021
I only trust peer-reviewed research, so I commissioned a detailed analysis of the athletic achievements of everyone who has been critical of Simone Biles.
Here are the preliminary results pic.twitter.com/eAFp7LGOO9
— Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) July 28, 2021
Piers Morgan has repeatedly defended Paul Gascoigne during his mental health struggles. But he won’t extend the same sympathy to Naomi Osaka, Meghan Markle or Simone Biles. I wonder why. pic.twitter.com/m3dWYM5DgP
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) July 27, 2021
.@piersmorgan on behalf of Black America: F%&K YOU and keep #SimoneBiles name out racist raggedy a$% mouth. You should take mental health cues from these far SUPERIOR Black women who trigger you so much and go see a therapist about your anger, resentment & feelings of inadequacy. pic.twitter.com/haF6oOS5W9
— BlackWomenViews Media (@blackwomenviews) July 28, 2021
After the Olympics, Biles, 24, will tour the country with her fellow gymnasts on the Gold Over America Tour (GOAT) and spend some time deciding if she will compete in the 2024 Olympics.
