?I Was Petrified?: Still Recovering From Twisties Nightmare, Simone Biles Gives an Update on Horrifying Times of Her Gymnastics Career

The legendary Simone Biles is one of the most decorated gymnasts in the present times. Through her extraordinary skillset and her dedication to the sport of gymnastics, she has managed to gather several accolades. During the 2016 Rio Games, she set a new American record for most gold medals in gymnastics at a single Olympics. However, the brave gymnast had a shocking incident during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which resulted in her bowing out from the event mid-routine.

Amid mental health struggles, Simone Biles suffered through a phenomenon called ‘twisties’. As a result, she withdrew from the individual all-around competition. Biles announced that she would be taking a break from professional gymnastics to solve her personal issues. Since that day, her fans have been eagerly waiting for her comeback. Simone Biles recently revealed that the world will see her back in the events from August. As her comeback nears, she shed some light on what she suffered through and her current mental state.

Simone Biles discusses her mental health before the big day

While the 7-time Olympic medalist was taking a break from her passion to reboot, the entire sports community was wondering what she was up to. And more importantly, when they would be able to witness her greatness once again. However, Simone Biles kept silent for a long time. She, instead, chose to concentrate on her personal life, and those are the only updates her fans received. Until today, when she answered a pertinent question during a question-and-answer session she conducted on her Instagram stories.

A fan asked her, “What’s your hardest event to come back to?” Her reply to the same was, “it’s always bars… mentally & physically but this go around….. BABY!!! twisting on any event. iykyk”. Simone Biles then delved into the phenomenon that resulted in her hiatus from competitive gymnastics. Further, she said, “mainly because when the twisties happen, you go right into the gym & work on it….. I took over a year off and THEN came back… So I was petrified.” Gymnasts perform various dangerous tricks during their events. The professionals might make it look easy, but ultimately, these athletes risk their lives to achieve the gift of greatness.

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Twisting in the air while performing stunts is one such example of a dangerous situation they put themselves in. While twisting, if a gymnast loses the connection between their mind and body, there are chances of them getting seriously hurt because of the loss of control of their motor functions. This is exactly what happened to Simone Biles, and she chose to protect herself rather than risk her life. Nonetheless, she has long overcome her problems. In the story, she revealed, “But I’m fine. I’m twisting again. No worries. All is good”. And the iconic gymnast is back on the mats again, doing what she does best.

Preparation for a major comeback underway

After being forced to bow out of five final events due to the occurrence of ‘twisties’, Simone Biles got back in the gym again in the past few months. She has now overcome her mental block and is training with coaches Laurent and Cecile Landi. Her withdrawal sparked an important debate in the sports fraternity. The pressure to perform on athletes and the lack of sympathy for their problems were double standards that were highlighted in the discussion. Now that she is back, Simone Biles hopes to inspire young minds.

According to Olympics.com, she said, “We wanted to make it as relatable as possible and let these kids know that we?ve been going through these things.” She revealed that once she started to train again, it came as second nature to her. It seems like the break she took has re-ignited the fire within her, burning away all doubts. Biles will be returning officially in August at the U.S. Classic, hoping to pave the way to the Championships. From the tone of her reply to the fan, she expects to conquer the sport on her comeback, just like she has in the past.

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