Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles revealed in an interview on October 21 that she is “still scared to do gymnastics” after having suffered from a case of the “twisties” at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I don’t think people understand the magnitude of what I go through.”@Simone_Biles tells @hodakotb about life after the Tokyo Olympics, the next chapter of her gymnastics career, and working for the health and telemedicine app Cerebral. The company’s CEO also joins us live. pic.twitter.com/4EG6gucUcY
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 21, 2021
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“I don’t twist [on tour,]” Biles said on the Today show. “I do double lay half-outs, which is my signature move on the floor. That’s never affected me. But everything else weighs so heavy, and I watch the girls do it, and it’s not the same.
Swallowing her emotions, she continued, “To do something that I’ve done forever and just not be able to do it because of everything I’ve gone through is really crazy, cause I love this sport so much. It’s hard, I’m sorry. And I don’t think people understand the magnitude of what I go through.”
“For so many years to go through everything that I’ve gone through, put on a front, I’m proud of myself, and I’m happy that I can be a leader for the survivors and bring courage to everybody speaking up, so I’m happy to be a voice for them. But we go through our own things, and it’s hard, but the twisting … will come back. But I’m still scared to do gymnastics.”
Biles also discussed different ways she’s been able to combat her mental health issues, including going on walks and taking time away from being active on social media.
As previously reported by Sister2Sister, Biles chose to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics after suffering from the “twisties,” which is a sensation in which a gymnast can’t keep track of where they are when in the air.
Following this, Biles has spoken openly and addressed her mental health challenges and said she is prioritizing them before gymnastics.
