Simone Biles is not a quitter. Her removing herself from competition was saving her from a serious injury.
She really did not owe anybody an explanation, but she decided to do so anyway when the gymnastics star addressed and answered questions about the “twisties” she experienced. Biles shared videos of her uneven bar routine on her Instagram story, adding comments on the two clips of how many more twists she had to go on her dismount.
“For anyone saying I quit, I didn’t quit,” Biles wrote on the first clip. “My mind and body are simply not in sync…I don’t think you realize how dangerous this is on hard/competition surface. Nor do I have to explain why I put health first.
“Physical health is mental health.”
Biles wrote on the second video that what she was experiencing did not happen before she left the U.S. for the Games. It “randomly started” at the preliminary competition, and “by that time NO an alternate was not allowed to be placed in my position for you ‘know it alls.'”
The 24-year-old also addressed that she chose to withdraw from the gymnastics team final and the all-around competition because she did not want to jeopardize “losing a medal (of any color) for the girls/US” and “also for my own safety and health.”
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One fan asked her if she was still experiencing the “twisties,” to which Biles confirmed she was.
Biles said it’s “never transferred to bar & beam before for me,” but “this time it’s literally on every event.”
Another user asked “about how long does it usually take for it to leave?” For Biles, it varies.
“Typically for me it’s usually 2 or more weeks when I’ve had them before,” she wrote. “Honestly no telling/time frame something you have to take literally day by day, turn by turn.”
“I was fighting demons but I did it,” she added. “Petrified too.”
On herf inal slide, Biles addressed the continued accusations of her having a bad performance and quitting, saying, “I simply got so lost my safety was at risk as well as a team medal.
“I also have no idea how I landed on my feet on that vault bc if you look at the pictures & my eyes you can see how confused I am as to where I am in the air,” Biles wrote. “Thankfully I landed safe enough but I also don’t think some of you realize I was supposed to do a 2 1/2 and I only completed 1 1/2 twists before it looks like I got shot out of the air.”
