“I learned how courageous and how strong I was"- When Simone Biles opened up about the aftermath of her Olympic withdrawal 

Simone Biles once opened up about her thoughts on withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics. After her withdrawal, the American athlete shared that she realized that the decision took a lot of courage to take a step back from such a major competition to take her stand for herself.

The American participated in her second consecutive Olympics in Tokyo, and her appearance raised a lot of anticipation among fans to witness her compete against some of the best gymnasts in the world. However, her journey was cut short as she withdrew from the entire quadrennial games before the team finals.

Simone Biles shared that she primarily withdrew from the Olympics due to 'twisties,' a condition that causes gymnasts to lose spatial awareness during aerial maneuvers. Her withdrawal brought about some backlash on social media, and the gymnast opened up about the aftermath of her decision in an interview with Good Housekeeping.

The American athlete shared that she reflected on her decision after the Olympics and realized that it was a symbol of her inner strength for being able to take a step to protect her mental health.

“I learned how courageous and how strong I was. It truly takes some strength to acknowledge that it's okay to not be okay, and to take a step back to protect your mental and wellbeing. That's what I did," she said.

Moreover, Biles expressed that she had trained for a long time to prepare for Olympics, and the withdrawal made her sad.

“I knew it was the right decision. Obviously, I was really sad because I had [trained for five years] for that Olympic hopes and dreams. It really showed me the strength that I had within myself, and that I needed to do what my body and mind was telling me,” she added.

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Simone Biles opens up about working on her mental health

Simone Biles at The Today Show Gallery of Olympians - Source: Getty

Simone Biles opened up about working on her mental health in an interview with Olympics.com. The American athlete shared that she had been visiting her therapist regularly while preparing for the Paris Olympics.

Biles expressed that the preparations for the Olympics can be very draining for the athletes, as the events are held over a period of multiple days and they are required to be at the best of their mental as well as physical abilities.

"I did see my therapist the other day…. We’re taking it day-by-day to see if I need extra therapy while I’m here, but so far, so good. The Olympics is such a draining process for the athletes when it’s multiple days of competition, so you definitely have to be on top of your mental, as well as your physical. So as long as we’re doing that, then, we’re good," she said.

The Olympic gold medalist urged the upcoming generation of athletes to focus on their mental health along with the physical aspects of the sport to be able to perform at the best of their abilities.