Simone Biles has addressed critics who took aim at her decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics – saying they’ve been silenced by her three golds so far at the Paris games.
The Team USA gymnast won four gold medals and one bronze at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 and had been expected to defend her titles in Tokyo in 2021.
However, she made the decision to pull out of almost all the events to “focus on my mental health”.
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Biles later revealed she had suffered from the twisties – a condition that causes a temporary loss of spatial awareness.
In Paris, Biles is now on what she has described as a “redemption tour” – and she’s won gold in all three of the women’s gymnastics events so far: Team; all-round; and vault.
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After dominating the vault final and performing one of her eponymous moves, she reflected on how her critics have been silent amid her renewed success.
“They’re really quiet now, so that’s strange,” she said.
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Biles added she’s “really excited to be competing again” and continued: “Obviously the negative comments, they’re painful.
“But I’m still in therapy, working on all that stuff to just make sure my mental health is well.”
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The gymnast – who is the most-decorated in the world – added she will have extra therapy sessions if needed during the games.
“The Olympics is such a draining process for the athletes, and it’s multiple days of competition, so you definitely have to be on top of your mental as well as your physical [health],” she said. “As long as we’re doing that, then we’re good.”
Biles could add two more gold medals to her haul as she is also set to compete in the floor and balance beam finals scheduled for Monday.
