“Some people have actually died"- Simone Biles gets real about experiencing terrifying condition during her Olympic appearance  

Simone Biles opened up about experiencing a rare, terrifying condition during her Olympic appearance in Tokyo. The American athlete shared that it was one of the 'scariest' feelings as an athlete to experience twisties, which ultimately led her to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles competed in her second consecutive Olympics in Tokyo, and her appearance raised great anticipation among fans. She began her campaign in the all-around during the qualifications and played a crucial role in helping Team USA qualify for the finals. Despite facing several challenges during her qualifications, she qualified for the all-around and vault final in first place.

After warming up during the finals of the team event, Simone Biles left the competition floor and ultimately withdrew her participation from the event. It was later revealed that she suffered from twisties, a condition in which a gymnast loses spatial awareness during aerial maneuvers. She spoke about twisties during an appearance on Ready25.

Simone Biles shared that it could be really catastrophic for gymnasts and could also lead to paralysis or death.

“That’s the scariest feeling in the world for a gymnast… we are like 10 to 12 feet in the air and it’s really dangerous. It could be catastrophic. We could paralyse. Some people have actually died," she said.

Furthermore, she spoke about pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics and expressed that she could get the help that she wanted and eventually return to the Olympics in Paris.

“Pulling out at the Tokyo Olympic Games was the most courageous I’ve ever been. That’s the only time I’ve ever felt worth more than gold, and then finally got the help that I deserved so that I could come back and go to Paris and be successful," she added.

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Simone Biles on making a comeback at the Paris Olympics

Simone Biles at the Artistic Gymnastics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 8 - Source: Getty

Simone Biles spoke about her comeback in a post-match interview at the Paris Olympics. After her heartbreaking withdrawal in Tokyo, the American gymnast shared that she never thought that she would be able to return to the mat once again.

However, Biles was able to make a comeback with the support of her coaches, Cecile and Laurent Landi. The American gymnast shared that she worked on both the physical and mental aspects of the sport to come back with more confidence and self-belief.

"Three years ago I never thought I'd set foot on a gymnastics floor again because of everything that happened. But with the help of Cecile and Laurent, I got back in the gym and worked really hard mentally and physically," she said.

After the Paris Olympics, Biles has an overall Olympic medal count of 11 and 30 world championship medals under her belt.