Nellie Biles has embarked on this journey with her daughter and it was not easy.
Simone Biles, the American gymnastics superstar many call the “GOAT,” withdrew from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to “twisties” – a mental block that gymnasts experience when they lose control of their bodies in mid-air. Her mother recently spoke about the ordeal in an interview with People.
“Everyone knows Simone’s story, right? All those times were really dark and stressful,” said Nellie.
“To process that and be in this place where she enjoys doing what she wants and where she plays her sport the way she would have liked to four years ago, and that never happened.”
During her bout with the Twisties in 2021, Biles stumbled during the vault competition and did not participate in the team final.
On the final day of competition, she returned in impressive fashion, winning a bronze medal on the balance beam.
Her teammates won silver in the team competition despite the lack of a captain and star.
OLYMPIC GAMES 2024 IN PARIS
Although Biles came under fire after the competition, with experts and fans calling her a “slacker” and claiming she had “failed,” the gymnast became a prominent figure in mental health advocacy.
“It was kind of depressing until I started therapy and got help. I felt like a failure,” Biles said in an interview with Vanity Fair in January. “Even though I was encouraging so many people and talking about mental health, every time I talked about my experience in Tokyo, it hurt a little bit – because obviously it didn’t go the way I planned. But all in all, it was the best decision.”
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris meant the final redemption for the 27-year-old, who remains the most successful gymnast in the world.
Biles extended her Olympic glory by winning three gold medals (individual all-around, team all-around and vault) and also taking silver on floor exercise.
After a fall, she missed the chance to win a medal on the balance beam, but finished her Olympic Games with four medals.
Biles has already won eleven Olympic medals throughout her career.
“But here her story is being rewritten, and I think that’s great. It’s being rewritten on her terms, because she’s in a place that she may have wanted to be for years,” said the gymnast’s mother.
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While Biles has not ruled out competing in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the gymnast would be 31 years old, making her the oldest American gymnast to compete in the Olympics since 1952.
“Never say never,” the three-time Olympian told reporters on Saturday. “The next Olympics will be at home, so you never know. I’m getting really old.”
