After the jump, Simone Biles dropped out of the competition on Tuesday.
Photo: dpa/AP/Gregory Bull
The shock wave that went around the gymnastics world from Tokyo on Tuesday and which was to be followed by a second on Wednesday apparently surprised the trigger the least. Simone Biles, the greatest star in artistic gymnastics, had initially retired in the middle of the team competition. A day later, she also canceled Thursday’s all-around finals. “I don’t have the confidence I used to have. I’m more nervous when I do gymnastics and I have less fun, ”Biles justified her step with a psychological injury, not a physical one. The 24-year-old also said she expected this moment to come at some point. “But of course it’s annoying that it happens at the Olympic Games, of all places.”
The many reactions that went as far as the White House showed the importance of their decision, especially in their US homeland. Government spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted, “Simone Biles deserves gratitude and support.” Athletes from all over the world also showed solidarity with Biles, congratulating her on the retreat, which is once again drawing attention to the mental health of high-performance athletes – usually a taboo subject.
“I have to think about my mental health. These games are very stressful. It was a long week, but also a long Olympic process, a long corona year. We’re just too stressed out and we should have fun here. But sometimes that’s not the case, ”Biles allowed at least a glimpse into her emotional world.
You can be sure that not only the past year has gnawed at your psyche. The mother was a drug addict even before she was born, so Simone Biles grew up in a foster family, then her grandfather adopted her. When she thought she had found her way out in gymnastics, another martyrdom ensued. In 2018, Biles made public that she, like many other athletes, had been sexually abused as a teenager by team doctor Larry Nassar. The perpetrator has now been sentenced to 175 years in prison. Of the victims, only Biles is still active. That’s one of the reasons why she wanted to go to the Games again after four Olympic victories in Rio in 2016. “If I hadn’t kept doing gymnastics, this scandal would have been brushed aside too quickly,” Biles was sure.
Already in the qualification the pressure on her seemed to be too great. “It wasn’t an easy day. I feel like the weight of the whole world is on me. Olympia is no joke! «, She wrote on Instagram, but many only saw the sporting result. Although Biles showed a lot of unusual uncertainties, she was the best in qualifying, reaching all the finals. In spite of everything, she could have picked up a few gold medals, »but mental health has to come first. Otherwise you won’t enjoy your sport anymore. Suspending a big competition from time to time shows what a strong athlete and a strong person one is. It’s a lot harder than fighting your way through sometimes, ”Biles said Tuesday night.
A sports hero is someone who ignores pain, and ideally never talks about it. Turner Andreas Toba was hailed as a German model athlete from Rio because he went back to the machine with a ruptured cruciate ligament. Biles made a conscious decision to go the other way. “Her courage shows why she is a role model for so many,” wrote her association USA Gymnastics, who nevertheless has to wonder whether he is partly to blame for the suffering of his athlete. “I wanted these games to myself. But I came here thinking that I would keep doing it for other people. What I love has been taken from me to please other people, ”Biles said.
Spain’s basketball player Pau Gasol, who wants to become IOC athletes’ spokesman, called for a general rethink after Japan’s tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew due to psychological problems: »Mental health must always have priority. We need a sports world that focuses on emotional wellbeing. «Simone Biles’ withdrawal could be the trigger for this.
.
