Posted on 07/27/2021 9:15:54 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles took a cue from tennis pro Naomi Osaka by pulling out of the team final after a shock error on her first event, insisting that she needed to 'focus on her mental health' because 'there is more to life than just' sport.
Speaking about her sensational exit from competition, which cleared the way for Team USA's Russian rivals to claim gold in a dramatic upset, the 24-year-old revealed that it came as a result of her personal mental health struggles and her desire to prioritize her 'wellbeing'.
'To focus on my wellbeing,' she told reporters of her reasons for pulling out of the competition following a sensational flub on the vault, echoing the statement issued by Naomi, 23, when she pulled out of the French Open earlier this year because of her own mental health struggles.
Shrugging, Simone added: 'And you know, there's more to life than just gymnastics.
'It is very unfortunate that it has to happen at this stage because I definitely wanted this Olympics to go a little bit better but again, we'll take it one day at a time and we're going to see how the rest goes.'
The gymnast also insisted that her decision to pull out of the competition after just one event - when she was due to take part in all four - was made, in part, to help her team, saying that she 'didn't want to risk the team medal' with 'her screw up'.
'I thought it was best that these girls took over the job which they absolutely did,' she continued. 'They are Olympic silver medalists now and they should be really proud of themselves now for how well they did last minute.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Spineless and stupid TOO
My comment on another thread:
Some of these athletes seem to be getting some poor mental coaching. Why do they have mental health, anxiety and depression issues at this level? Part of being a top athlete is being prepared to handle the pressure of competition and the glare of publicity.
This Olympics are a joke.
We’re a long way from Mark Spitz and Bruce Jenner. And that guy who won the marathon about 30 years ago.
SHE is a "woke POS." Try reading something before commenting.
I guess the day of the Kerri Strug’s are gone where the team was everything.
Do you remember Kerri Strug? ‘Nuff said....
Yep, she is one of the very few I was interested in watching...she just blew for me.....won’t give a care what she does from here on.
You nailed it
Most here don’t know that you know
I think the error on the floor exercise affected her concentration. For some reason she wasn’t able to shake it off. When all you can think of is not screwing up, it becomes self fulfilling. This was a good move for the Team.
Best wishes, Simone. Take the Individual Gold!
🖕🏻
Yeah, the GOAT symbol on her uniform was a bit early. Sure, there is pressure when one is called the Greatest of All Time, but you didn’t see Tom Brady quit in the first quarter of the Super Bowl earlier this year because of his mental health.
“..Yep, she quit on her teammates in this it’s all about me culture we live, screw the team is her attitude...”
IMHO, she knew she wasn’t the “greatest” and was gonna lose. So rather than face that humiliateing embarrassment, she just ups and quits screwing over her teammates. She should never be considered for another gymnastic team ever again....anywhere after this.
Is my opinion considered “racist”??? /S
Not a lot of mental toughness there
She is a big supporter of BLM and LGB,etc.
Kerri Strug was a member of the Magnificent Seven, the victorious all-around women’s gymnastics team that represented the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
She is best remembered for performing the vault despite having injured her ankle and for subsequently being carried to the podium by her coach, Béla Károlyi.
Just like BLM supporting Naomi Osaka, life does not go their way and they have mental health issues. I wish all of them miserable lives. They both have the world and their feet and yet have problems with it.
Yep
Yeah, tell that to the thousands of female gymnasts who would love to be in Tokyo representing the US.
What a head case. Maybe she and Naomi Osaka can whine over tea together. The media adulation for those two is way over the top.
The greatest of all time has to be Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. She participated in 3 Olympiads (1956, 1960, 1964) and won 18 total medals (14 individual and 4 team). That’s greatness regardless of what nation you represent.
I actually respect her comment. Bad timing for her team but her mind just had an epiphany. A healthy one.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.