“Was Spinning Around on My Neck”: Simone Biles Recalled the Dread of Her Gymnastics Existence in Her Book

To see your favorite gymnast perform tricks on the vault with such ease is always a delight. But is performing the skills always so easy? Well, apparently not! In her book “Courage to Soar,” Simone Biles takes the reader through her life’s journey. She speaks not only about her personal struggles and dilemma but also about her gymnastics journey.

She speaks about her success and opens up about the hurdles she faced. She may be the gymnastic GOAT now, but the road to that glory had its setback. Read along to find out more!

When Simone opened up about her struggles 

If there’s one thing that Simone struggled with, was the bar. The tussle with the bars was real for Simone. As she says, it was “the dread of my gymnastics existence.” She confessed that she had been “wrestling with the Tkatchev for almost a year.” She informed the readers in her book that she was trying very hard to nail the complicated release-and-catch move.

For the unversed, while doing a Tkatchev, a gymnast swings around the bar. As one reaches the top-right, they release the bar and turn their head over so that they will fly backward over the bar in a straddle position and then catch the bar again on the other side.

Read More: “Our Gymnastics Life Span Was Shorter”: Simone Biles Had a Tough Time Accepting Unfair Difference Between Men and Women in the Sport

However, to perfect the move, Simone faced initial hiccups. As she recalled, “was spinning around on my neck.” As she could not execute the move perfectly and ended up “flying off the apparatus.” Nonetheless, she did not give up; she continued practicing it and eventually perfected her moves.

Simone Biles and her gymnastics career

Simone was just six years old when she started her journey at the vault. Upon the suggestion of the instructors, she took up the sport. She soon enrolled in the optional training program at Bannon’s Gymnastics and began training under coach Aimee Boorman.

She began her elite career at age 14. Since that day, she has never looked back, achieving one feat after another; she eventually earned the title of the Gymnastics GOAT. Simone created history by winning 25 World Championships in the year 2019. She was also the only gymnast for Team USA to compete in all four events in the Rio Olympics. Needless to say, over the years, Simone has earned herself countless medals that have secured her place amongst the best.

Watch This Story: Jonathan Owens’ Heart Melted When he Saw Gymnastics Icon Simone Biles Cheering Up for him.