Mental Health And Its Toll On Olympic Athletes

Mental health has been a growing topic over the last decade or so, and people feel more and more comfortable talking about their mental health as time passes. One notable person to come out and talk about their mental and it’s impact on their performance is US Olympic all-star, Simone Biles. The original reports stated that she was withdrawing from the events due to an injury, but Biles came out to say it wasn’t due to an injury, and was rather due to the state of her mental health. Sports Illustrated stated, “Cameras caught her telling team doctor Marcia Faustin, ‘I don’t want to do it. I’m done.'” Certainly, to see one of the all-time greats struggle with mental health shows people that it can happen to anyone, and that even with success, there are still demons that can haunt people from time to time. On the biggest stage, it’s unfortunate that a personal issue has to become public for the Olympic gold medalist.

Sports Illustrated talked with Biles, “Biles alternated between tears and laughter afterward. She said she was not physically injured. “I just don’t trust myself as much as I used to,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s age, but I’m a little bit more nervous when I do gymnastics. I feel like I’m also not having as much fun, and I know that”—she began to cry—”this Olympic Games I wanted to do it for myself, and I was still doing it for other people, so that just hurts my heart badly, that doing what I love has been taken away.”” These Olympic athletes identity is their sport, and they work so hard for one moment, and for that to be taken away, especially being so close to another gold, is nothing short of devastating for her. They work so hard for the gold medal, and especially Biles who has a strong history of winning gold, they hold themselves to that expectation, and to not meet their expectations can be crushing.

Mental health is a serious topic, and it can affect anybody. Biles is wise and did what’s best for her, and in hind sight, it was best for the team too. She knew she wasn’t able to compete at the highest level for her team and didn’t want to let her team down. Taking care of yourself is important, no matter your status in society. In America, we’ve seen plenty of stars lose their battle to mental health, or have it get the best of them. I wouldn’t say Biles lost a battle by any means, or even let it get the best of her. She’s being proactive and taking steps to ensure the quality of her health before it goes too far. In a dangerous sport like gymnastics, if you’re not in the correct headspace, you’re potentially risking significant injury to yourself. Biles did what was best for her, and set an amazing example for kids showing that it’s okay to prioritize your feelings before anything else.

Biles is, and will go down, as one of the best athletes Team USA has ever seen, if not the Olympic games in general. She sits in a class with athletes like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.