Why Did Simone Biles Take A Break?

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Biles competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, where she suffered a mental block known as the twisties. Getting the twisties means a sudden mental disconnection between the mind and body, which causes gymnasts to lose spatial awareness in the air. As a result, she withdrew from most individual events, the team final, and all-around.

Had she stayed in the competition, Biles may not have landed safely while performing her maneuvers and suffered serious injury. The 11-time Olympic medalist reflects on that time as a pivotal moment in her life and career. She explained that it showed people the real side of her, as many view her as a “robot” due to her previous outstanding success.

The athlete shared that after the 2020 incident, she has sought professional help and turned to therapy. “Gymnasts aren’t viewed as people who have weaknesses, and that was the first time that weakness was displayed on a global stage like that,” she noted. Biles has since spoken up about the struggles that come with being an athlete and offers support to others who go through similar phases during competitions.

Simone Biles Has Built Other Interests During Her Break

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Developing a new normal after doing an activity for almost two decades may be a bit of a challenge, but not for Biles. She disclosed that she took the opportunity of her spare time to develop new hobbies and try out other activities. The world champion previously shared that she had not tried out any sport besides gymnastics all her life, so stepping into new waters during her hiatus took some thought.

The 29-year-old revealed last year that she had started taking horseback riding lessons. Parade reported that the decision was born out of boredom, as she was so used to her usual routine of being in the gym 24/7, training. Biles revealed that getting into horseback riding was not a tough call because her house owner “has a whole bunch of horses and he’s always offered [to teach her].”

Biles, however, stressed that her break does not mean that her love for gymnastics has diminished. “I still absolutely love the sport of gymnastics,”  she said, noting that whether she’s on the floor or in the stands, her heart goes out for the sport.

The Award-Winning Athlete Made History In 2023

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Nearly two years after the tumult of the Tokyo Olympics, Biles made a glorious comeback to competitive gymnastics in August 2023, where she secured a huge win, proving that she is indeed the greatest gymnast of all time.

The 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships was home to the record-breaking moment as she broke the nine-decade record for the most all-around titles. The most decorated gymnast in history went home with an all-around two-day total score of 118.40, beating her runner-up, Shilese Jones, by four points. Her floor routine was well executed with an unshakable landing, yielding loud cheers from fans.

The neatly done floor routine was her final event at the competition during which she scored 15.400 points, breaking the record for most all-around titles for a man or woman set by Alfrad Jochim. The Blast reported that while speaking to outlets after the competition, Biles acknowledged that she made certain mistakes during her routines but noted that she felt really good about her mental and physical state at the time.

Simone Biles Also Struggled With Her Body Image

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Besides the crisis attached to her physical and mental health, Biles disclosed that people previously lashed out at her for her muscular frame and hair during the early days of her career. Instead of letting the criticisms affect her self-esteem, she channeled them into a positive message, accepting that her body was that way for a reason.

“God made me this way, and I feel like if I didn’t have these legs or these calves, I wouldn’t be able to tumble as high as I can and have all of these moves named after me,” she said. After her recent boob job, many started commenting on the gymnast’s body once more. Biles owned the narrative, sharing all the other cosmetic procedures she had undergone.

As reported by The Blast, the 29-year-old disclosed that she had gone under the knife for a lower eyelid surgery because of her eye bags and also had work done on her earlobe after her earring ripped out when she was younger.

Will Simone Biles be ready to compete in 2028?

The Simone Biles Teases Possible 2028 Olympics Last Dance With A Catch first appeared on The Blast