Simone Biles Explains Gymnastics Is ‘Not The Same’ While Still Dealing With The Twisties
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
In a brand new interview, Simone Biles, 24, revealed that she's still dealing with the effects of "the twisties."
The Olympic gymnast is working on recovering, but she says the process has been difficult.
"The twisting once I got back will come back, but I'm still scared to do gymnastics," Simone explained.
Simone Biles made international headlines when she pulled out of the last few gymnastics competitions at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics right before her scheduled events. Soon after, Simone, 24, explained that she was dealing with "the twisties," a mental performance issue that's common in gymnastics.
The condition, which is very disorienting, can cause gymnasts to lose their ability to perform twisting skills, even if they've practiced for years (like Simone has). And they're dangerous: If a gymnast can no longer grasp the logistics behind complicated, twisting moves, they might land in the wrong way and severely injure themselves.
Over the summer, Simone explained what having the twisties felt like on her Instagram Story, saying she "literally can not tell up from down. It's the craziest feeling ever. Not having an inch of control over your body. What's even scarier is since I have no idea where I am in the air I also have NO idea how I'm going to land. Or what I'm going to land on."
In a brand new interview on Oct. 21, Simone revealed to Hoda Kotb on the Today show that she's still mentally battling the twisties. Simone and a group of other Team USA gymnasts are currently traveling across the country and performing on the Gold Over America Tour. But Simone said she's still not ready to perform those twisting, gravity-defying tricks she's known for.
"I don't twist. I do...my signature moves on the floor, but that's never affected me. Everything else just, like, weighs so heavy, and I watch the girls do it and it's just, it's not the same," she said.
"Is that weird?" Hoda asked. "Yeah," Simone replied. "To do something that I've done forever and just not be able to do it because of everything I've gone through is really crazy because I love this sport so much."
"But it's hard," she added. "I'm sorry. And I don't think people understand the magnitude of what I go through, but for so many years to go through everything that I’ve gone through, having a front, I’m proud of myself."
Simone also recently testified at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about the abuse that she and other former Team USA gymnasts suffered from Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor. She shared how difficult the experience was with Hoda:
"To go through something like that and to be a voice for all of the survivors and people who want to come forward and talk about their stories, it’s really inspiring," Simone said. "But it’s hard that I have to go through it, because again people form their own opinions and I don’t really get to say what’s going on.”
As far as what her future on the beam and the mat hold, she explained that "the twisting once I got back will come back, but I'm still scared to do gymnastics."
And, when asked if she would do anything differently if she could go back and re-live the Tokyo Olympics, Simone said “I wouldn’t change anything for the world. I think everything happens for a reason.”
You Might Also Like
