“It was the right thing to do”: Simone Biles reflects on her journey at the Tokyo Olympics
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Simone Biles
Nearly a year after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles is still reminiscing on the lessons that the Games taught her. In July 2022 Biles made the decision to withdraw from the competition after she decided to prioritise her mental health before the game.
The 25-year-old went through a long journey, especially that of realisation. “I learned how courageous and how strong I was,” said Biles. “It truly takes some strength to acknowledge that it’s okay to not be okay, and to take a step back to protect your mental and wellbeing. That’s what I did.”
“Its okay to not be okay”: Simone Biles talks about her experience from the Tokyo Olympics
Finally however, she did realise the importance of listening to her own body and doing what felt right to her. “I knew it was the right decision,” she said to goodhousekeeping.com. “Obviously, I was really sad because I had [trained for five years] for that Olympic hopes and dreams. It really showed me the strength that I had within myself, and that I needed to do what my body and mind was telling me.”
Biles still ended up bringing home two medals from the Olympics; one silver from the team championship and one bronze from individual balance beam. Taking everything that she learnt from the Tokyo Olympics and the journey, her main goal is to now encourage others. Biles has been a big advocate of mental health, as other athletes too talk about their struggles and the need to address them.
Also read: “Daring Biles”- Olympic Champion Simone Biles gets her own Snapchat show
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Saivee Phatak
(1164 Articles Published)