American Simone Biles is one of, if not the greatest, gymnast in the history of the sport, with her seven Olympic gold medals and 23 world titles. But at the same time, the 29-year-old has had a fair share of ups and downs during her illustrious career.

During the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, Biles decided to step back from competition, citing mental health, to deal with a condition now referred to as “twisties.” She withdrew from the women’s team final and didn’t take the mat for the four individual finals afterwards, turning the sporting landscape upside down.

“Working five years for a dream and just having to give it up, it was not easy at all,” Biles explained her decision to Hoda Kotb of NBC back then.

Three years after that, Biles gave an exclusive interview to Olympics.com in September 2024, revealing the emotional toll of not competing in various finals in Tokyo. She talked about her mental state and help from her therapist in the aftermath of her decision from Tokyo, just a month after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics.

“In the beginning, I think the hardest part is logging on to my therapy sessions and convincing myself to go,” Biles said. “But as soon as I see my therapist and we start talking, it’s like I’m yapping the whole time. I’m so grateful for that.”

In Paris, she managed to overcome her struggles and won four Olympic medals, including three golds in team, all-around, and vault, while settling for silver in floor.

Since the Paris Olympics 2024, Biles has taken an elongated sabbatical for the better part of the last two years to deal with the rigors of competition without setting a return timeline yet.

Who Did Simone Biles Inspire To Not Take Their Mental Health For Granted?

In women’s gymnastics alone, Simone Biles has inspired many athletes to never take their mental health for granted after going public with her struggles. Jade Carey talked with the Olympics website in the 2024 report about understanding the impact of mental health through her teammate’s experience from 2021.

“She not only inspired me, but I know she inspired so many others just to seek help, talk to someone, because it's not easy to do on your own,” Carey said of Biles after alluding to her as a reason for taking a step back as a gymnast.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist also revealed talking to someone about her mental health after experiencing a lean patch in 2023, missing out on the World Championships.

Less than a year later, at the Paris Olympics in 2024, Carey won the second of her two gold medals in the team event for the USA with Biles.

Also, the 26-year-old hasn’t competed in elite gymnastics, just like Biles, since the Paris Olympics. But she is set to return to competitive action in the vault later this month at the American Classic with plans to qualify for the 2028 LA Olympics.

Moreover, Jordan Chiles, 25, talked about going for sports psychology as a youngster for a while before alluding to finding someone to talk to and lean on, just like her teammate Biles. She was also a part of Team USA in the women’s event in Paris two years ago, in which they won Olympic gold together.

Is Simone Biles going to make her return to elite gymnastics in yet another inspirational comeback after leaving the sport? Tell us in the comments.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Ankita Yadav