“I Can Kind of Read Her Lips”- Simone Biles’ Fiancé Jonathan Owens Predicted Her Mental Health Struggles at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles gave the world a glimpse of her greatness when she won the World Championship Title in her debut appearance. Since then she has never looked back. With 19 Gold medals at the World Championships, she is the most decorated gymnast of all time. She is a five-time world-all-around champion and the only female gymnast to achieve this feat five times.

She took the sport of gymnastics to new heights by achieving the unachievable. The consistency in her performances over the years separated her from her competitors. However, she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics after qualifying for the final round. The primary reason that she put forward for the withdrawal was that she was experiencing ‘the twisties’, a psychological phenomenon causing a gymnast to lose air awareness while performing twisting elements.

Simone’s withdrawal from the Olympics

Simone Biles competed in the qualifying rounds of the women’s gymnastics team all-around event in the Tokyo Olympics. The team had qualified for the finals. On July 27, team USA was all set to compete in the team all-around final. During the event, Biles has a discussion with her coach, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi after she performed the Yurchenko one-and-a-half twist. What happened after that was a shocker to her fans all over the world.

Simone opted out of the rest of the event. Her fiancé, NFL player Jonathan Owens watched her perform from the US. As everything was unfolding in Tokyo, he felt ‘sick’ as he could not help her. Describing how he had predicted her struggle as soon as she went to speak to her coach he said, “I was sick for her, just because I can see her face, I kind of know her facial expressions, I can kind of read her lips and kind of know what was going on and kind of what she was telling her coach.”

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Since the couple was in a relationship for over a year at the time of the Olympics, Jonathan could clearly understand that Simone was struggling. Owens was aware of the fact that Simone was struggling with her twisties even before the Olympics. “I was just really hoping she was going to get over it and be able to go out there and perform,” he said.

Simone Biles as a mental health advocate

Ever since her withdrawal from the Olympics, Simone has openly talked about her struggle. Athletes are considered to be role models and carry a lot of influence. Biles hopes to create a positive impact in society using her influence.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 15: Honoree Simone Biles attends the 2021 InStyle Awards at The Getty Center on November 15, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for InStyle

To become an advocate is not her goal and not something she wanted. Through her struggle, she learned that it is best to rely on your close ones. She spoke about how her fiancé, Jonathan has been her biggest support during such moments. The couple started dating in 2020 and got engaged in February 2022. The couple posts a lot of pictures together on Instagram. They keep on dropping hints about their upcoming 2023 wedding. 

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After her withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics, there has been no official confirmation regarding her return to the sport. Fans look forward to her wedding in 2023 and await any updates about her return to the sport.