Simone Biles Says Her Break From Gymnastics Was 'Depressing' Until She Got Help
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Olympic gymnast Simone Biles opened up about her mental health journey in her cover story for Vanity Fair.
The gold medalist took a break from gymnastics after experiencing the "twisties" at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Simone shared that it was "depressing," but going to therapy helped.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, 26, is opening up about her mental health journey ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics in a new cover story interview with Vanity Fair.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist took a two-year hiatus from the sport after experiencing the "twisties," at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The "twisties" is a mental performance issue where a gymnast becomes disoriented mid-air and is unable to do a twisting skill they've done countless times before, Women's Health previously reported.
Simone experienced the "twisties" while competing on the vault—she completed one and a half of an attempted two and a half twists and nearly fell when she landed. Afterward, she withdrew from the team competition and other competitions, including the individual all-around, the vault, the uneven bars, and the floor, according to Vanity Fair. She competed in the balance beam and won the bronze medal.
While many people supported Simone's decision to withdrawal from the Olympics, others criticized her and called her a "quitter," she recalled to Vanity Fair.
Although necessary, taking a break from gymnastics was tough for Simone. “I wish I could sit here and tell you it was glorious,” she told Vanity Fair of her time off. “When I took a break after [the] 2016 [Olympics], I had the time of my life. I was doing anything and everything. But after 2020, it was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help.”
“I felt like a failure,” Simone continued. “Even though I was empowering so many people and speaking out about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo—because it obviously didn’t go the way that I had planned—it stung a little bit. But all in all, it was the best decision.”
Simone also shared with the magazine that she's "always been in therapy" and has "always been an advocate for medicine." The professional athlete was prescribed Lexapro "years ago," according to Vanity Fair, and continues to take the medication today. “If you need an inhaler, take it. If you have anxiety, take it,” Simone said, summing up her perspective on the topic. “I’m no stranger to medicine.”
That said, the seven-time Olympic medalist doesn't want to be put on a "pedestal as a mental-health advocate." That happened to her in 2020, she told Vanity Fair, and she "was not okay" with it.
"If I can be a lending hand and help people, then I’ll be open, honest, and vulnerable, but you cannot stick me in front of a crowd and say, ‘Do everything she’s doing'," she told the publication.
After taking a break from gymnasts to focus on her mental health, Simone started training again in late 2022. She tried to mentally convince herself that she didn't have the fear of flipping and twisting into the air, but "that was a lie," she told Vanity Fair. "I was petrified." She eased her way back into her routine and, by January 2023, Simone was back to her regular schedule, training four days a week.
In October 2023, Simone became the record holder for most international gymnastics medals in gymnastics history as she won her sixth all-around world champion gold in Belgium, according to USA Today.
What's next for Simone? She's eyeing a spot on the 2024 Olympic team, but told Vanity Fair, "If I don’t make it to Paris, it won’t absolutely crush me." She's strong—inside and out.
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