“To know that I'm not just brushing it aside or hiding it under the rug” - When Simone Biles opened up about the mental health aspect of the ‘Gold Over America’ show

Simone Biles is arguably the best gymnast in the world. However, she isn’t active in the sport at the moment. Biles sent shockwaves in 2021 when she bowed out of the Tokyo Olympics finals citing mental health problems. She has been away from the competitive field ever since.

The seven-time Olympic medalist is the most decorated American gymnast. Biles, however, has taken a much more serious role ever since she quit the Tokyo Olympics—the role of a mental health advocate. At only 25, Biles is still young but has already become an inspiration for athletes around the world by putting mental health ahead of medals.

Having bowed out of the Olympics, Biles kept herself active. She soon announced her Gold Over America Tour, which in turn became a hit. The athlete was joined by several other gymnasts on her journey across the US. Biles took the tour as an opportunity to shed light on the importance of maintaining mental health.

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Mental health as a theme for Simone Biles' tour

Simone Biles, who sparked a global conversation about her quit from the Olympics, openly spoke about the role of positivity during her shows. In an interview with Olympics.com, Biles opened up on the role she plays as a mental health advocate and said that it was a major part of her gymnastics show. Speaking prior to her Gold Over America Tour’s third stop in Anaheim in 2021, the gymnast said that it wasn't her goal to become a vocal figure in mental health.

She said:

"See for me, that was the hardest part because speaking out on mental health, I knew that I could have the possibility of becoming an advocate for that. But it wasn't my goal. It's not what I really wanted.”

Simone Biles went on to reveal that mental health did become a major theme of her tour. The athlete stated that she continues the conversation she started in Tokyo during her tour to prove that ‘athletes are more than their accomplishments’.

She added:

"For me, it was important to include the mental health aspect because I know a lot of people coming out to watch this show go through similar things and to know that I'm not just brushing it aside or hiding it under the rug, that I'm bringing that talking and viewpoint to the forefront."

Explaining herself, Simone Biles added that ‘believing in yourself’ and that ‘there’s gold inside everyone’ were prominent themes of her Gold Over America show.

She said:

“I would say it has a lot of strength, courage. It's exhilarating. There are sad parts, but there are ups and downs in life. And I think that's what we're trying to portray in these shows, that we're human as well, not just athletes. And we have some similarities that you guys might not think about. But once you watch the show and the storytelling and the line is really good.”

It is noteworthy that the tour was conceived by Simone Biles in 2015. The young athlete had written down her own touring show as a goal. She stated that it becoming a reality for her was ‘unreal’. The highly successful tour was a talking point in the sports world as it saw Biles in her element once again after her shocking withdrawal from the Olympics.