"I have to put my pride aside. I have to do what's right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being."
Simone Biles is an American gymnast with a total of over 30 Olympic medals assigned to her name. She is a 19-times gold medalist and is currently considered to be the best artistic gymnast in the world.
She just announced that she will no longer participate in the Tokyo Olympics.
"I think we're a little too stressed out - we should be out here having fun and that's just not the case." she explained, "It's been really stressufl this Olympic games... it's been a long week, a long Olympic process, a long year"
Athletes are under unbearable pressure. With the entire world watching and their teammates counting on them it can be very hard to say "stop" and prioritize health. It is crucial to know when to take a break and take care of both mental and physical health. Simone is currently making that difficult decision. She is a mentor and a role model to so many people and she has decided to publicly speak out about the importance of mental health in sports along with other wolrd-class athletes such as Naomi Osaka. They are helping so many people gain the courage to speak out and see they are not alone. All athletes struggling with the pressure they are under have out full support and deserve empathy and understanding in those difficult times.
Sources:
Brockes, E. (2019, March 16). Simone Biles: “I go to therapy, because at times I didn’t want to set foot in the gym.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/16/simone-biles-therapy-times-didnt-want-set-foot-gym
Cash, M. (2021, July 27). Simone Biles realized she was mentally “not there” at the Olympics, prompting her exit from the team all-around final. Insider. https://www.insider.com/simone-biles-mental-health-not-there-prompting-olympics-team-exit-2021-7
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