Michael Phelps once revealed that Simone Biles’ struggles with “the twisties” had left him “broken hearted” following on from her withdrawal from events at the 2020 Olympics.
Biles, an American icon, now stands boasts a staggering as 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals – making her the most decorated gymnast in history. Her remarkable record is made all the more compelling, with the 27-year-old having faced adversity at points during her career – not least during her time at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Having earned an incredible four gold medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, expectations were high for Biles coming into the next Games in the Japanese capital. However, the star from Spring, Texas withdrew from much of the 2020 Olympics – earning two silver medals in the team and floor exercise events.
Her decision to pull out of the vault, uneven bars, floor exercise, and individual all-around competitions in Tokyo came as a result of her battle with “the twisties”. Biles described “the twisties” as the “strangest, weirdest feeling”, explaining that she could simply not “tell up from down” while airborne.
As a result, the storied competitor felt she had no option but to withdraw from a host of events. She explained: “It’s the craziest feeling ever. I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first. Physical health is mental health.”
Biles received criticism from some quarters for her call but legendary swimmer Phelps – the most decorated Olympian of all-time – was on hand to defend his compatriot. He later reacted on NBC: “It broke my heart but also, if you look at it, mental health over the last 18 months is something a lot of people are talking about.
“The Olympics is overwhelming. The easiest way for me to say this is athletes, and Olympic athletes in general — we need someone who we can trust, somebody that can let us be ourselves and listen. Allow us to become vulnerable. Somebody who’s not going to try to fix us. We carry a lot of weight on our shoulders, and it’s challenging.”
Biles stated on Instagram that she was “[feeling] the weight of the world on [her] shoulders”, before reinforcing her commitment to putting her “mental health first” as she withdrew from the team event at the Games, saying: “You don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to.
“So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are — rather than just battle through it.”
Reflecting on Biles’ decision Phelps praised his fellow Olympian, adding: “We’re human beings. Nobody is perfect. It’s okay to not be okay, to go through ups and downs. The biggest thing is we all need to ask for help. I can say personally it was very challenging. It was hard for me to ask for help. I felt like I was carrying, as Simone said, the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s a tough situation.”
After her triumphant performances at the summer Games in Paris over the summer as she earned gold medals in the vault, all-around and team events, the American gymnastics hero said of the experience: “There’s such high expectations on me that I’m supposed to win, so whenever I do win or get whatever medal that is, I feel relief off my shoulder like, ‘I did it. I’m done. Let’s move on to the next’.”
