Simone Biles once opened up about the struggles she faced before the delayed 2020 Olympics. This came just a few months after her campaign at the Tokyo Games.
Even though Biles returned with a silver and bronze medal from the event her mental health was not in a good state. This was due to the twisties she experienced during the Tokyo Olympics, as well as other struggles outside of gymnastics.
In an interview with The Cut in 2021, Biles said that she could have retired before the Tokyo Olympics, especially with the difficult period she faced in the seven years leading up to the Games.
She also mentioned this incident with Nassar was “too much” for her to handle but she wanted to keep working hard and not get bogged down in her gymnastics career due to this chapter. She said (via The Cut):
“If you looked at everything I’ve gone through for the past seven years, I should have never made another Olympic team. I should have quit way before Tokyo, when Larry Nassar was in the media for two years. It was too much. But I was not going to let him take something I’ve worked for since I was 6 years old.”
Biles also remarked during the interview that she got more nervous as the Tokyo Games approached and eventually had to withdraw from numerous events such as the uneven bars, floor exercises, and vaults.
Fast forward three years later, Simone Biles not only competed in another Olympic Games after Tokyo but also won three gold and a silver medal. This made her the second-most decorated female gymnast in the history of the Olympics with 11 medals.
Simone Biles opened up about the mental baggage that she faced after her campaign at the Tokyo Olympics. This came just a few months before Biles competed in her third Olympic Games at the French capital.
In an interview with “Vanity Fair Magzine” in January this year, Biles revealed that she got into a state of depression after the Tokyo campaign. Due to this, she decided to start taking therapy.”
I wish I could sit here and tell you it wasgl orious. But after 2020, it was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help. “
- During the interview, Simone Biles also said that she uses her Tokyo Olympic incident as an example for others to advocate the importance of mental health.