“The world is going to hate me,” said Simone Biles on the ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast in April 2024. The 11x Olympic medalist had the reaction recalling her Tokyo Olympic “twisties” episode. Simone made a brave decision to withdraw from the competition to protect her mental health and started a revolution. But her courageous act was met with hate. She couldn’t escape the accusatory comments of her fans, many going so far as calling her a “quitter”. However, amid the relentless criticism, there was some respite.
Athletes from across the world extended their solidarity to the 27-year-old and praised her courage for triggering a conversation around mental health awareness. “I am really proud of her for prioritizing mental health and making sure that everyone knows and understands that we’re not just athletes,” said Sam Mikulak after competing in the men’s all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics. A certain athlete has recently shared her feelings about the incident and what’s more? three and a half years later, praises for the G.O.A.T are still coming!
On February 5th, ‘Olympics.com’ posted a video of about 2:41 minutes of Anna Gasser, the Austrian snowboarder. A compilation of snippets from Gasser’s life and snowboarding career, it also featured an interview of the 33-year-old. “I was feeling with her really like the whole time in Tokyo. I was like, Oh my god, this must be the worst,” mentioned the 2022 Beijing Olympic Champion. Well, Anna had her obvious reason to resonate with Simone. Snowboarding also requires the athlete to defy gravity and be in the air. Losing control could be nightmarish.
The 2019 PyeongChang Olympic Champion herself mentioned, “The scariest thing ever to happen to me is getting lost in air, and sometimes it’s happening… It’s like losing control, and you can’t do anything. Like, that’s the most scared I am when I’m snowboarding, that I lose control in the air.” An athlete herself, Anna understands the importance of mind and body being in sync. Moreover, belonging to the world of sports, Gasser knows how very few athletes have come forward to share their experiences about mental health struggles. She cannot help but admire the champion gymnast for prioritizing her mental health and more importantly, speaking up about it. “I’m so happy that Simone brought that to a point, how important it is that your brain works with your body. Your body alone cannot do the trick; it also has to be your head,” said Anna.
