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Original poster

Simone Biles

211 replies

Cwtchycoopark · 29/07/2021 16:02

I had never seen her perform so I am currently down a YouTube rabbit hole and I am awe struck.She is phenomenally, jaw droppingly talented and you can just tell how much she loves it. She is a complete joy to watch. She has shown such courage in prioritising her mental health over what is expected from her.

OP posts:
TheSkatesOfCoachBombay · 29/07/2021 17:22

She's amazing! Her talent, she truly is an inspiration and her taking a step back to protect her mental health is admirable and amazing.

She said she's getting the "twistees" meaning she can't feel/know where she is in the air when tumbling. It's dangerous, she could injure herself. She's done the right thing.

ChatterMonkey · 29/07/2021 17:23

Its crazy how much it seems to be a 'controversial' thing she did pulling out for mental health reasons. If she had sustained a physical injury, no one would be saying she let the team down or that she just didnt want to lose.

Perfect example of how mental health isnt given the importance it should be given, and is treated as less important than physical health.

Greenlittle · 29/07/2021 17:26

Agree, she is amazing. So glad these women are standing up and saying no. They are helping others prioritise their well-being too.

Nicknacky · 29/07/2021 17:29

So this “twistees” is it a temporary problem or is it something that once they experience it that it remains with them?

IntermittentParps · 29/07/2021 17:31

Its crazy how much it seems to be a 'controversial' thing she did pulling out for mental health reasons. If she had sustained a physical injury, no one would be saying she let the team down or that she just didnt want to lose.
Exactly this. The double standards are still there.
Piers Morgan just sinks lower and lower in my estimation every time he comes out of his cave to have a pop at another woman (who is usually some combo of young/not-white/foreign too, hmmm).

JessicaPeach · 29/07/2021 17:34

@Needaholiday101

She is amazing and inspirational. My daughter had followed her for years and we emailed her last year for a school project. She replied with a lovely personal video clip message.
Wow! I'm massively impressed by her doing this, how special for your daughter
NiceGerbil · 29/07/2021 17:35

She's incredible. Just mind boggling talent.

She 100% did the right thing.

And so brave to talk about the abuse.

Original poster
Cwtchycoopark · 29/07/2021 17:35

@dragon50 no need to be embarrassed. She is incredible.

@phineyj i read something about the scoring system, that they don't credit her with extra points for the ridiculously difficult routines she performs because they don't want to encourage other competitors to attempt them because they are physically not capable of it and will injure themselves. Whereas Simone is in a class of her own but is not rewarded for that with extra points.

I think it was a CNN reporter that said Piers Morgan's greatest athletic achievement was walking out of a tv studio Grin

OP posts:
PatchworkElmer · 29/07/2021 17:44

She’s an absolute star.

SetPhasersTaeMalkie · 29/07/2021 17:47

@Needaholiday101

She is amazing and inspirational. My daughter had followed her for years and we emailed her last year for a school project. She replied with a lovely personal video clip message.
That's amazing. That must have been so exciting for your daughter. And says so much about the kind of person she is, to take the time to do that. Really lovely.
Original poster
Cwtchycoopark · 29/07/2021 17:47

@Nicknacky

So this “twistees” is it a temporary problem or is it something that once they experience it that it remains with them?
I'm not sure. Probably if she was in training with crash mats and foam pools etc she might feel confident with carrying on but not at an international competition with no safety nets. If she lands wrong shes going to be seriously injured.
OP posts:
PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 29/07/2021 17:48

I think it was sensible — it's better that she didn't risk hurting herself, and also if she had managed everything, but not as well as usual, she'd always wonder whether pulling out would have been better.

I would like to see her again this Olympics, because she is so fantastic to watch. Obviously only if she feels secure and confident though. Perhaps she won't do the vault but might do some of the other finals?

Cam2020 · 29/07/2021 17:49

I know absolutely nothing about gymanstics but she has the perfect combination of skill and energy that makes her a joy to watch like Lilia Podkopayeva and Dominique Dawes back in the day (that was probably the last time gymnastics interested me!).

The way sone of these young women have been treated is appalling and Biles is incredibly brave to have spoken out her, abuse and to have put her own health first. She's achieved what most could only ever dream of she should be proud.

alexdgr8 · 29/07/2021 17:55

this is an extremely dangerous sport.
if a person fails at cross-country they'll probably limp in last, or twist an ankle, maybe break a bone rarely.
with this, any performance under par could easily cause paralysis, brain injury or even death.
it's just not worth it.
she has done the right thing.
i wish her well.

terrywynne · 29/07/2021 17:57

@Nicknacky

So this “twistees” is it a temporary problem or is it something that once they experience it that it remains with them?
I got the impression that it can be overcome but if you put yourself under pressure to overcome it then that is more stress which makes it worse. Basically it seems to be a mental health condition with physical consequences so you need the time and space to fix the mental health element.
BoredZelda · 29/07/2021 17:58

Remember back when Kerri Strug was forced to do he final vault on torn ligaments and everyone said she was a hero.

She wasn't. She was bullied by her coach. I'm glad nearly two decades on we realise the athletes are more important than results.

Mountaingoatling · 29/07/2021 17:59

I absolutely adore her. I think and hope she will be an influential figure in the decades to come.

How are handles things is just so authentic, refreshing and quietly revolutionary

I am so glad you started this thread!

fuckingsickofcovid · 29/07/2021 17:59

She's bloody amazing. She deserves to put her mental health first, I agree OP.

fallfallfall · 29/07/2021 18:02

i'm probably too old but honestly think this should have been worked out long ago. she should have recognized when to change from the ultra competitive mode and allowed someone else the opportunity.
and claiming mh issues/well being seems so attention seeking and immature just like the stupid bow on top of her head past the age of 12.
but i'm not sure how much of elite gymnastics is actually grooming and abusive.

Galassia · 29/07/2021 18:04

Nellie Kim, Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci all competed as young teenagers from backgrounds that are incomparable with the pampered lifestyles of today.

Nadia was only 14 when she won gold at the Olympics.

Simone is absolutely outstanding physically but if she knew or her trainers knew that she she wouldn’t be able to cut it mentally then they should have allowed another athlete to take her place.

AntenatalNellie · 29/07/2021 18:05

Simone Biles is an outstanding gymnast and an inspiration to so many people. I applaud her for being honest about her mental health. As others have said if it was a physical problem it wouldn’t have been a big deal. I had never heard of the twistees either and it really shows that the mind and body have to be completely in sync to be safe let alone at the top of your game.
She has been through more adversity in her short life than most people would in a whole life time. It shows how strong and determined she is and how much hard work she has put in.

What a lovely thing to do for the young girl who emailed Simone. She’s a class act through and through.

Piers Morgan needs to crawl back into the gutter he crawled out of. What a vile role model he is for his children, chasing headlines and publicising himself rather than caring about the damage he is doing to others. He once took on half of America with his stance on guns, what the hell has happened to him to turn him into this dreadful creature? Picking on anyone just to fill a column.
He can barely stand up straight supporting the weight of his beer belly and double chins, I’d love to see him try one of the moves Simone does for a warm up. If only he developed permanent laryngitis and writers block, we can only hope.

RedToothBrush · 29/07/2021 18:06

The conversation that should be had here, is why did American Gymnastics not properly assess her ability to cope with the pressure of the Olympics? Why send her - at the expense of someone else - if she wasn't in the right headspace?

This isn't about her decision to quit and the rights and wrongs of it.

Its about yet another potential failure of duty of care to female gymnasts by their organisation.

I'm yet to see comments about the conduct of the authority, though maybe I have merely missed them.

Instead everything has been laid personally at the feet of Biles saying she's either 'brave' or a 'coward'. I think both groups actually miss the real point here.

oneglassandpuzzled · 29/07/2021 18:07

I can see why she didn't want to risk herself doing those dangerous moves if she had the twistees.

I do feel slightly sorry for the people who didn't quite make the team and could have been out there in Tokyo competing.

Sexnotgender · 29/07/2021 18:07

She’s phenomenal. Absolutely the GOAT.

I admire her now more than ever.

Doorhandleghost · 29/07/2021 18:21

She’s an amazing person as well as an amazing athlete. She came back to gymnastics in part so that the Larry Nassar business wouldn’t be forgotten, as at least one of his victims would be in the limelight still.

I can’t imagine the pressure she felt this week. She’s been a bit off her game all season and I’m not hugely surprised she pulled out. Definitely a good decision for her. Also the rest of the team were totally relying on her scores to get the gold - she was carrying more than 25% of the responsibility for the team event for sure.

I hope she feels well enough to defend her individual titles next week.

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