Simone Biles Praised By Celebrity Friends After Pulling Out Of Olympic Events
Simone Biles, largely recognised as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, has been inundated with supportive messages from fellow athletes and celebrities after pulling out of Olympic events to focus on her mental health.
On Tuesday, day four of the Games, Biles competed in the all-round team event representing Team USA before exiting the competition mid-way through due to a 'medical issue'.
She later returned to the gymnasium wearing a team tracksuit to cheer on her fellow teammates, and joined them on the podium when they won silver medals. The Russian Olympic Committee claimed gold and Great Britain, bronze.
A day later Biles announced that she would not be competing in the individual all-round event either, which was largely expected to win her back-to-back Olympic Games wins - the first for a woman since the Sixties - and break records in the process. The 24-year-old disclosed that she had decided to sit out on the events for the last two days due to her mental health.
Great Olympic athletes are often treated as performers for our entertainment and assumed to have near superhuman qualities, with little acknowledgment of them experiencing the same pressures, stresses and struggles as the rest of us. It's an issue Biles' fellow Olympian Naomi Osaka has also spoken about in recent months after she withdrew from doing press interviews at the French Open on the grounds of protecting her mental health.
Biles and Osaka discussions about mental health are now being lauded by fellow athletes and celebrities who similarly experience public pressures and intrusions.
Following Biles' departure from the events, athletes, actors and politicians all praised the athlete:
Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States
Am I good enough? Yes, I am. The mantra I practice daily. @Simone_Biles, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you. Congratulations on the the silver medal, Team @USA! 🎊
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 28, 2021
Aly Raisman, former Team USA gymnast and Olympic gold medallist
Just a friendly reminder: Olympic athletes are human & they’re doing the best they can. It’s REALLY hard to peak at the right moment & do the routine of your life under such pressure. Really hard.
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) July 26, 2021
Love you @Simone_Biles
— Alexandra Raisman (@Aly_Raisman) July 27, 2021
Max Whitlock, Team GB gymnast and Rio 2016 gold medallist
. @Simone_Biles you’ve pushed boundaries time and time again. Rest up & take time pic.twitter.com/ktAmF0UmAc
— Max Whitlock MBE (@maxwhitlock1) July 28, 2021
Michael Phelps, former Olympic champion and Team USA swimmer
Watch: Michael Phelps reacts to Simone Biles' decision to withdraw from gymnastics team competition pic.twitter.com/QNJfdJUPW9
— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) July 28, 2021
Cori Bush, congresswoman
I stand with Simone Biles.
I still stand with Naomi Osaka.
Your health and peace matters. You’re reminding Black women that we can take the space we need for ourselves.— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) July 27, 2021
Adam Rippon, former figure skater
I can't imagine the pressure Simone has been feeling. Sending her SO much love. It easy to forget she's still human. WE LOVE YOU.
— Adam Rippon (@AdamRippon) July 27, 2021
Billie Jean King, former tennis champion
I’ve been thinking of #SimoneBiles all day. So very sorry she wasn’t feeling her best.
She showed true leadership in taking herself out of competition in order for her team to have a chance to medal. Sending her and the team love & support.
Congratulations to #TeamUSA! 🥈— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 27, 2021
Uzo Aduba, actor
Yes. This is what a champion looks like. So proud of #SimoneBiles and the entire gymnastics team. How lucky we are to have you all as our Team USA. https://t.co/4TrcUXuQpm
— Uzo Aduba (@UzoAduba) July 27, 2021
Rosanna Arquette, actor
Simone Biles is still the most amazing athlete ever
— ✌🏼rosanna arquette (@RoArquette) July 27, 2021
Greg Rutherford, former Team GB long jump gold medallist
"There are 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 levels of pressure - nobody understands the Olympic journey of each individual athlete"@GregJRutherford praises @Simone_Biles for sparking the discussion around the mental health of athletes#Tokyo2020 | #Gymnastics pic.twitter.com/KwHgQfSpEW
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) July 28, 2021
Helen Richardson-Walsh, Team GB hockey player and 2016 Olympic gold medallist
“It really does take huge bravery for her to say what she’s saying right now” ❤️#SimoneBiles has withdrawn from Thursday's individual all-around final at #Tokyo2020@h_richardson8 commended the four-time Olympic gold medallist's decision.#bbcolympics
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) July 28, 2021
Danusia Francis, British-Jamaican gymnast representing Jamaica in Tokyo
Don’t know about you but I think @Simone_Biles just empowered everyone to put their mental well-being above everything else. WHAT A QUEEN. GOAT in more ways than one. ♥️
— Danusia Francis (@danusiafrancis) July 27, 2021
Ellen DeGeneres , talk show host
.@Simone_Biles, you're solid gold in my book.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) July 27, 2021
Billy Eichner, comedian and actor
The wonderful Simone Biles pulls out of an Olympic event to protect her well being and I can’t even bring myself to leave Twitter. God I’m so fucked.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) July 27, 2021
Chelsea Handler, comedian
.@Simone_Biles drew a boundary for herself and her health on the world stage. This is real superhuman strength, setting an example for all of us.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) July 27, 2021
Ronda Rousey, MMA and UFC fighter
Everyone judging @Simone_Biles doesnt know their foot from their asshole when it comes to being in her position.Shes on the Olympic team while you’re on Twitter.Whatever is going on cannot be grasped from outside.She’s doing the absolute best she can given the situation she’s in.
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) July 27, 2021
Andy Cohen,talk show host
We love you @Simone_Biles !!! 🇺🇸
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) July 27, 2021
Following Team USA's silver medal performance, Biles spoke during a press conference about her decision, saying: 'I say put mental health first because if you don't then you're not going to enjoy your sport or succeed as much as you want to so it's ok sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself because it shows how strong of a competitor and person you really are, rather than just battle through it.'
On Wednesday, when USA Gymnastics confirmed Biles would sit out the individual event too, they issued the following statement on Twitter:
Am I good enough? Yes, I am. The mantra I practice daily. @Simone_Biles, we are proud of you and we are rooting for you. Congratulations on the the silver medal, Team @USA! 🎊
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 28, 2021
It awaits to be seen whether the athlete will compete in the individual apparatus events later in the tournament. Biles has previously said she is taking her decisions day by day.
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