"It's OK to not be OK": When Michael Phelps supported Simone Biles in her decision to withdraw from Tokyo Olympics 2020

About a year back, Simone Biles sent shockwaves across the continent with her decision to withdraw from the women's gymnastics team final at the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles, widely considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, bowed out of the finale after a botched vault routine. She later stated publicly that it was due to mental health problems.

She later told reporters that she was "okay," and reportedly was having some mental health issues. Former Olympic athlete Michael Phelps, also considered a legend in his sport, came out in support of Simone Biles.

He stated that Biles' condition broke his heart. He went on to comment how "the weight of the world" can often be "overwhelming" for Olympians, especially at a grand stage like the Olympics.

Michael Phelps also said that he hopes that Simone Biles' situation is an eye-opening experience for everyone and people start taking greater care of mental health issues of athletes.

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What did Michael Phelps say in support of Simone Biles?

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, has been a long-term advocate of mental health among athletes and sportspeople. He even spoke extensively on mental health struggles in the HBO Sports documentary The Weight of Gold.

He himself dealt with such problems for a long time during the latter part of his career.

Speaking to host Mike Tirico about Simone Biles' withdrawal, he said:

"We're humans, right? We're human beings. Nobody is perfect so yes, it is okay to not be okay. It's okay to go through ups and downs and emotional roller coasters...But I think the biggest thing is we all need to ask for help sometimes too when we go through those times.

"For me, I can say personally it was something very challenging. It was hard for me to ask for help. I felt like I was carrying, as Simone said, the weight of the world on [my] shoulders. It's a tough situation."

Michael Phelps continued:

"We need someone who we can trust. Somebody that can let us be ourselves and listen. Allow us to become vulnerable. Somebody who's not going to try and fix us.

"We carry a lot of things, a lot of weight on our shoulders, and it's challenging, especially when we have the lights on us and all of these expectations being thrown on top of us."

Another decorated athlete, Naomi Osaka, also withdrew from the French Open amidst mental health concerns. Michael Phelps praised Osaka's courage to step up and publicly admit to the struggles. Phelps spoke to TODAY last year stating the importance of mental health amongst athletes. He said:

"This is an opportunity for all of us to really learn more about mental health, to all help each other out...For me, I want people to be able to have somebody that can support them, who’s non-judgmental and who’s willing to hold space. There’s a lot that we can do to help one another and we have to start. We can’t brush it under the rug anymore."

Simone Biles later took to her Twitter account to share how grateful she felt for all the love and support from her fans and fellow athletes. She tweeted:

"The outpouring of love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before."

Mental health issues are one of the things that have long plagued athletes in big competitions like the Olympics. Phelps hopes that more athletes come out and talk about them like he did, as that can often be the only way out of this ditch.