Mental Health And Its Toll On Olympic Athletes
August 2, 2021
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August 4, 2021Simone Biles, arguably the most popular USA Olympian who is a gymnastics legend, withdrew herself from a few prior events earlier on in the Olympics, to compete in her final two events and placing silver and bronze in those events. Biles withdrew from her events because of stress she has never felt before during competitions, and said that it was best for her to withdraw from the events for the better of Team USA and the gymnastics team.
Biles received backlash from many Americans when she withdrew from her events due to her mental health. People had high expectations and thought they would see Biles when plenty of golds once again, but their expectations were not met when she withdrew. Many people were being insensitive to her and the situation which she was in. She took some time off, and to many people's surprise, she ended up competing in two final events, both of these events she placed.
Image from: https://wallpaperaccess.com/simone-biles
Biles didn’t come home with a gold, and struggled during her first events. Arguably, it’s more impressive for somebody that felt like they couldn’t do something on the biggest stage, come back and place. That’s quite the story for her. A comeback story to say the least, and one that should make you feel good.
Biles is helping open the door wider on the mental health topic with athletes. Athletes are sometimes viewed as indestructible, but Biles is a walking example of that. Athletes are humans too and should be treated as such.
