“Smiling doesn’t win you gold medals.”
At the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Biles withdrew from the majority of the team gymnastics competition because of mental health issues. More specifically, Biles said her physical safety was at risk due to experiencing ‘the twisties’, a psychological phenomenon causing a gymnast to lose air awareness while performing twisting elements.
Even after being accused of being a quitter and selfish by critics, multiple gymnasts defended Biles’ decision and told of their own issues struggling with the ‘twisties’. Her decision to prioritize her mental health was generally widely praised and credited with starting a wider conversation about the role of mental health in sports.
Alongside the rest of the American female gymnastics team, who nicknamed themselves the ‘Fighting Four’ that year, Biles won silver at Tokyo. Four years later at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she won three more gold medals and a silver medal. Biles is currently the most decorated artistic gymnast of all time at the World Championships and has won the most Olympic medals of any US gymnast.
