Fighting Deadly Gymnastics Scare, Simone Biles And LSU’s Konnor McClain’s Coaches Saved Their Paris Olympics Hope

As Simone Biles is in full swing with her preparations to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she was a victim of the debilitating twisties during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On the other hand, Konnor McClain too was gridlocked in a similar situation, which dwindled her morale big time. Despite everything, Simone Biles and LSU’s Konnor McClain found unwavering support and guidance from their coaches during their potentially career-ending gymnastics scare.

For Konnor McClain, while her transition to collegiate gymnastics at LSU has been nothing short of remarkable, she had a rocky way to the top marred by a growth spurt. Her LSU collegiate coach Jay Clark has been a rock by her side through these times. In an interview with NBC after LSU’s NCAA win, Konnor McClain spoke about her struggles with the full-out dismount off the uneven bars back routine that had been troubling her since an unexpected growth spurt.

McClain said, “I lost it and I just could not get it back… I got really scared of it. Once I came to school Jay (coach) was like, ‘We’re learning a dismount. That’s the first thing we’re going to do.’ After two weeks of going into the pit, I got my dismount!” McClain competed every weekend for three months, nearly triple the time of what elite gymnasts do in a year. This boosted her confidence and reignited her joy in competing.

While she’s on a roll so far this year, with Paris in her peripheral vision, Konnor McClain had a bumpy season last year. In 2023 April she was swinging on the fence and making two monumental decisions. Whilst still in the process of rehab to strengthen her back and recover from hand injuries, she was contemplating a shift from her Gymcats team based in Las Vegas to the revered LSU gymnastics squadron, and things started looking up once she followed through.

She bemoaned post joining the LSU team under the able iron-clad tutelage of coach Jay Clark, “The light wasn’t there, it was very dim last year.” In a recent interview with nbcolympics.com McClain talked about greener pastures and said, “Me and [LSU head coach] Jay [Clark] have talked about it a lot recently, just like what I’m going to do and how my plan after season is going to go. We’ve kind of mapped it out a little bit just to prepare and make sure we both know what’s going so we don’t lose track. We do have a plan.”  Thus, re-hitting the button for her love for gymnastics and her Paris goals seeing the light of day too.

Konnor McClain’s coach Jay Clark emphasizes the importance of getting McClain healthy, happy, and adjusted to the new environment. She endured the loss of her grandmother and father and underwent two surgeries last year to address a cyst and a metal plate in her hand. Now she is fully healed and ready to focus on her training. McClain said, “If they say I can’t do something, I want to come back even better.” 

On the other hand, how did Simone Biles get her game face back on?

Simone Biles’ coach wanted her to go back to the basics

Just as McClain found renewed joy and confidence in competing after an intense schedule, Simone Biles faced a similar resurgence during the 2020 Tokyo Games. Biles’ coach, Laurent Landi, has played a crucial role in her preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Landi and his wife Cécile have been coaching Biles since 2018. When she experienced “twisties,” which caused her to lose her sense of orientation in the air during the team’s final competition. Her coach has been instrumental in overcoming that mental block.

On a popular Spotify podcast Call Her Daddy, Simone Biles also elaborated saying, “So whenever they were looking at me and doing it, it just like, it’s so weird. And so we, yeah, we had to go back to the basics.” She mentioned feeling uncertain about competing since she hadn’t fully recovered from the twisties. Despite the ongoing effects of past trauma, which often made her hesitant and disoriented in the gym.

Simone Biles recalled in another interview what Laurent Landi told her after she dismounted the beam with only 1.5 twists in Tokyo. Landi did not lose confidence in Biles and said, “The annoying part is we’re going to go home in a week or more. You’re going to go back in the gym and you’re going to be able to do everything.”

However, Landi’s approach has focused on prioritizing Biles’ safety and mental well-being, as seen during her struggles with the ‘twisties’ at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They have encouraged Biles to compete at the upcoming Olympics and consider transitioning into a specialist role focusing on the floor and vault. Biles shared that going to talk therapy was significantly helpful, as it allowed her to “process all her emotions.” 

It will be interesting to see how McClain and Biles perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics after overcoming challenges in the past year.