Simone Biles Opens Up About Mental Health For Athletes

Simone Biles, one of the greatest athletes in American history, shocked the world on July 27, 2021, when she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics after experiencing "the twisties." This phenomenon occurred during her Amanar vault attempt. In this complex move, a gymnast sprints onto the springboard, performs a round-off, then a back handspring onto the vaulting table, launching into the air to complete 2.5 twists and a backward flip before landing. However, Biles was only able to complete 1.5 twists due to losing spatial awareness in mid air, also known as "the twisties." Visibly shaken, she consulted with her coaches and medical staff before withdrawing from the competition to protect herself from injury and to not lower her team’s overall score.

On April 17, 2024, Biles sat down with Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, where she opened up about her experience at the Tokyo Olympics. She revealed that her struggle with the twisties was rooted in longstanding battles with mental health. Despite having performed the Amanar vault thousands of times, her mind suddenly disconnected from her body, making the maneuver impossible, even for an athlete as well trained as Biles. “It’s basically your mind and body at a disconnect… You’ve been doing something for so long, and you no longer have control,” Biles explained. She continued, “It wasn’t just a mental injury that happened; it was compressing all of this stuff for so many years to where it just unfolded.”

Biles experience at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as her ongoing struggles with mental health show that even the strongest and most accomplished athletes can struggle mentally. If someone as extraordinary as Biles can face such challenges, why do we expect professional, college, and even high school athletes to be immune? Why do we put so much pressure on them to perform? For athletes, and all humans in general, fighting internal mental struggles is incredibly difficult, but seeking and accepting help can make a tremendous difference. Biles admitted, “I didn’t think therapy was going to work, and it’s working.”

Just three months after that podcast appearance, and years after receiving mental assistance, Biles returned to her remarkable self at the 2024 Paris Olympics, claiming four medals in total, including three golds—a testament to her resilience and courage.

Want to learn more about athletes and their mental struggles? Click on the link on the header of the webpage where you can purchase my new book So You Want To Play College Sports. I interviewed numerous CURRENT college athletes as well as share many critical research based statistics.

(TOM WELLER/VOIGT/GETTYIMAGES)