Simone Biles pulled out of the gymnastics team final Tuesday at the Tokyo Olympics and cheered her teammates on from the sideline as Team USA won the silver medal behind the gold medal-winning Russian Olympic Committee.
After Biles struggled to land her vault, she was “visibly upset,” USA TODAY Sports reported, as she spoke with her coach and the team doctor. Between the pressure of competing at the Olympics and the pressure living up to her GOAT reputation, she said it’s been a lot to handle and she opted to put her mental health first.
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman — Biles’ teammate at the 2016 Rio Olympics who’s won a total of six Olympic medals, three golds, two silvers, one bronze — spoke to the TODAY show Tuesday about all the pressure on Biles.
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While Raisman acknowledged she doesn’t know what it feels like to carry the same weight Biles is, she said it’s “way too much pressure,” and “people forget that Simone is human.”
Aly Raisman: There was ‘way too much pressure’ on Simone Biles https://t.co/JME6d094mH
— 3rd Hour of TODAY (@3rdHourTODAY) July 27, 2021
“I can only speak from my own experience, and then watching the pressure that’s on Simone, she had way more pressure [than what] was on me. And I felt like it was too much for me to handle. I would say way too much pressure.
“The amount of pressure that everyone has been putting on her is just, it’s too much. I know so many people are well intentioned and mean well, but I think that people forget that Simone is human. And I appreciate how you guys said they won the silver medal because I think there’s so much pressure to win a gold medal, and the U.S. gymnasts did the best that they could. They did a great job, and they have so much to be proud of. And I think it’s important that we start saying they won the silver medal.”
This week on Instagram, Biles posted a couple photos from the Games and wrote in the caption: “I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.”
Raisman further praised Team USA’s performance in the team competition as it relied on Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Grace McCallum with Biles on the sideline, and she reminded fans that an Olympic silver medal should be celebrated just as much as a gold.
She also congratulated the Russian gymnasts for winning gold in both the men’s and women’s team competition and said, “They were amazing.”
Raisman continued explaining the challenges of competing in the Olympics — something so few people can appreciate first hand — and reiterated her emphasis on the athletes simply being human in an unpredictable sports world.
“On the one hand, gymnastics has given us all such a big platform, which we are all so grateful for, and I think that is so cool. But on the other hand, I think, in my opinion, what’s missing from sometimes the media coverage is, I think it’s really important to talk about the favorites going in. But I also think it’s important to remind people that in sports, you can’t predict anything, and everyone is human.
“So stuff happens even to the best gymnasts, even to the best athletes. You look at all the greatest athletes out there that are still competing and that competed back in the day, they all had tough days. It’s part of being human. It’s part of being an athlete. And sometimes when you have a tough day, that’s how you learn. That’s how you grow. But I do think that there’s just been a tremendous amount of pressure, especially on Simone, and I think people truly forget that she’s human.
“I’m just praying that she’s going to be able to continue to compete. I’m praying that her injury, or whatever is going on, is OK. I’m praying that mentally she’s going to be OK because it’s really hard. I just think right now, everyone just needs to support them, and be there for them, and remember winning isn’t everything.
“I know in the moment, it feels like it is. But the most important thing is that these athletes are healthy, they’re safe and that they are good and kind people, and I think, sometimes, the media in our society gets lost in winning. And that isn’t everything.”
Raisman also applauded Biles for continuing to be the supportive teammate her peers know her to be. She added:
“Simone did an amazing job cheering on her teammates being there for them supporting her. I can’t imagine what Simone is going through right now. But the way that she was cheering on her teammates really shows the kind of team he is the kind of person she is. So I’m very proud of her.”
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