When Athletes Are Humans
Everyone was surprised when the top American gymnast, Simone Biles, decided to withdraw from the Olympics because of mental health challenges. The news came as a bombshell, mainly because she has already over the course of her career dealt with the pressure of competing. Let’s not neglect the fact that she is the defending Olympic champion, and a four-time gold medalist. She knows what success tastes like, so she isn’t doing this for the attention.
It all started during the team final event. She suddenly left after an event. Her teammates were all surprised by her performance, seeing her struggle with this move that she has learned to master so many times in the past. She didn’t continue on, but remained on the sidelines to cheer on her friends. In the end, the US team won silver, behind the Russia Olympic Committee (ROC). Her teammates weren’t mad at her; they accepted her decision with open arms.
Later on, the most decorated gymnast of all time decided to withdraw from the final individual all-around competition at the Games.
Now 24 years old, the Ohio athlete is going through lots of stuff. She’s a professional gymnast, but she’s like all of us. Sometimes you just need to take a step back from your insecurities, and what you are doing, to just take care of yourself. That’s what she is doing, for her well-being.
Yes, there are sponsors, teammates and family members that she may not want to disappoint. But she wasn’t in the right mind set and just needed to take a break. Better to do this than to get injured.
There is more than the Olympics after all. She can take time to reflect in order to come back stronger, whatever she ends up doing (it could be something bigger than sport).
During our life, we are faced with so many expectations from society and people around us. When we go against them, like Biles did, we shock and create instability in a way. The best part about this is that we are in control of our destiny. Whatever choice you take, it will be for the best if you believe in the power of your convictions.
Moreover, the pandemic surely doesn’t help. Imagine having trained all of your life to get to the Games and being left by yourself when you arrive. Friends and family are staying home; you need to imagine that they are there with you. Sports are made to bring people together, so the fact that there are absolutely no fans in the stands is definitely a bummer.
All alone at the start line with only your thoughts to motivate you. Not everyone is made for that. Lots of athletes thrive on the energy of the crowd and value human contact. And these athletes have been training hard alone under strict health guidelines. Hard to get in the right mindset when you are dealing with this worldwide health crisis we are facing right now. It must be hard to enjoy the Olympics as people around the world are dying from a deadly virus. The atmosphere in the Olympic Village is without a doubt different from previous years.
I assume that it is more stressful for some being away from their family members. They probably don’t sleep as well as usually, and that must play with their mind.
Biles has been through a lot of trauma, as other members of the US gymnastics team. Among other things, we discovered that the USA Gymnastics physician, Larry Nassar, sexually abused hundreds of young athletes, including Simone. I can’t even imagine the pain that this must have left on her to this day. Simply terrible.
Naomi Also Opens Up
The Japanese tennis player, Naomi Osaka, who lost early on at the Olympics, has been going through her own mental health struggles. She withdrew from the French Open earlier this year when she said she wasn’t in a good headspace to talk to reporters after her matches. Osaka first received a fine. Afterward, she said that she had enough. The tennis star didn’t think that players had an obligation to talk to members of the media after disputing a match, win or loss.
The world number 2 and four-time Grand Chelem winner set the stage for more talks about mental health in professional sports. She wasn’t necessarily attacking the press, but the format of press conferences. Osaka also opened up about her struggles with social anxiety and being an introvert.
The lesson here is to take care of yourself. It doesn’t matter if you are the best athlete in the world or a Sunday runner, be kind to others, but mostly be kind to yourself.
