"So much bigger than we can ever imagine"- When Michael Phelps made his feelings known about mental health after Simone Biles’ Olympics withdrawal

Michael Phelps once opened up about the significance of mental health shortly after the most decorated gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, withdrew before the finals of the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games, which saw her win four gold medals in the team all-around event, individual all-around event, vault exercise, and floor exercise. Along with this, she also won a bronze medal in the balance beam event. Following this, she made her second Olympic appearance in the 2020 Tokyo Games, which did not pan out as expected.

The American gymnast experienced twisties, a mental health condition where gymnasts get phased out while they are in the air, while competing in the vault event in Tokyo. During the team finals, she lost her balance in the air and almost fell, which led to her withdrawal from the event.

Shortly after this, reflecting on the unfortunate incident, the legendary swimmer Phelps highlighted the importance of mental health in a conversation with NBC Olympics in October 2021.

"I hope this is an eye-opening experience, I really do. I hope this is an opportunity for us to jump on board, and to even blow this mental health thing even more wide open. It is so much bigger than we can ever imagine," said Michael Phelps.

Phelps retired from swimming after competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he nabbed five gold medals and one silver medal.

Michael Phelps opened up about his thoughts on Simone Biles suffering from the twisties

In the above-mentioned interview, Michael Phelps talked about Simone Biles' mental health during the Tokyo Olympics. He spoke about how important it was for athletes to take care of their mental health, and talking about Biles' struggle, he said that it broke his heart.

"It broke my heart but also, if you look at it, mental health over the last 18 months is something a lot of people are talking about," said Michael Phelps.

Along with this, Phelps also motivated the gymnast to call for help and acknowledged that times like that could be very challenging, drawing from his experience.

"We're human beings. Nobody is perfect. It's okay to not be okay, to go through ups and downs. The biggest thing is we all need to ask for help. I can say personally it was 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 added.

Phelps also once opened up about his mental health, as he suffered from depression following his temporary retirement after the 2012 London Games.