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Simon Biles will go down as a hero. Admitting you don't feel well is huge. Her honesty will save countless people. She is my new hero. I probally shouldn't

Simon Biles will go down as a hero. Admitting you don't feel well is huge. Her honesty will save countless people. She is my new hero. I probally shouldn't have said "hero". We all don't like word, or label. I just admire her on a lot of levels. Crippling anxiety pretty much ruined me life.

mijamo 5y ago
Is it? Plenty of athletes say they don't feel well. The specificity about Biles is that she was the great favorite and abandoned at the last minute in the Olympics without much prior signals that it could happen. Tennis players for instance have talked about pressure, depression, the importance of mental preparation for decades now. Recently Them for instance admitted he had a terrible breakdown after so many efforts to finally win the US open and since then hasn't been able to do much. In cycling Dumoulin also recently had a break from his career because he felt too much pressure and too little joy, them dis a great come back at the Olympics. Ian Thorpe in his time spoke a lot about mental health amongst athletes, difficulties and depression.
- rocqua 5y ago
  This was significant because it was so last minute. It shows "no matter how far you went, you can always put your mental health first". I think it's also significant because she's womam gymnast. Generally, they have been pushed really hard mentally. With a lot coming out in my country at least about bullying and other (non-sexual) abuse. Mostly this was focused on pushing them to train harder, ignore pain, ignore feelings, and lose more weight. In that context, having a female gymnast stand up and say "no I am not pushing past my limits" is a big deal. It looks like a break with the past of mental abuse. Hopefully putting gymnastics in a much healthier place.
- Tarsul 5y ago
  For the competition that Biles competes in (all kinds of gymnastics) it is downright dangerous physically to compete without confidence because every small misstep can result in devastating injuries. That's not the case in many other sports.
  - Alex3917 5y ago
    We shouldn't have sports where you can increase your chances of winning by increasing your chances of becoming a quadriplegic or getting killed. Whether or not Biles should have pulled out of competition is moot, because her event(s) shouldn't exist in the first place.
    - matwood 5y ago
      Most (all?) sports increase the risk of injury when increasing the chance of winning. Running faster, jumping higher, etc... all increase the chance and severity of injury.
      - Alex3917 5y ago
        You can't increase your odds of winning an Olympic gold medal in running by increasing your chances of becoming a quadriplegic or suffering a traumatic brain injury. However you can for sports like gymnastics, snowboarding, and cycling.
ReptileMan 5y ago
And I admire Kerri Strug. The whole point of the Olympics is to transcend the limitations of your mind and body and not to succumb to them.
- rocqua 5y ago
  If you can't do that, is the olympic spirit to push anyway and damage yourself? Or is the olympic spirit to be honest with yourself and the rest of the world. I also think that this decision took a lot of bravery for Biles. And I admire her for that.
  - krapp 5y ago
    >If you can't do that, is the olympic spirit to push anyway and damage yourself? Traditionally, yes. The Olympic spirit is to be willing to push yourself as hard as necessary, through anything, even to the point of death, to win the gold. Quitting only brings shame and disgrace to you and your country. I agree with what Simone Biles did, and I don't think anyone can judge her - only she knows what her headspace and capabilities were - but it was absolutely against what the Olympic spirit is supposed to be. Olympic competition often serves as a form of neo-eugenic nationalist propaganda (that our nation and its values creates genetically superior people and potential combatants to yours.) Imagine the furor if this were the 1980s and Simone Biles had quit and a Soviet gymnast had won the gold medal. Everyone in the US would be calling her a traitor and a coward.
- kenjackson 5y ago
  One can admire both. They aren’t in competition with one another.
blindmute 5y ago
Really? I view her as a coward. A hero doesn't run away from the battle because they feel bad. These athletes are meant to be the best of us, representing our countries to the world. Do you want your country to be associated with quitting, mental illness, etc? I'm sure she made the best decision for herself, but that's quite the opposite of heroic. She let down a lot of people. Heroic is fighting through the problems and doing what you need to do despite that adversity, not giving into it and going home.

mijamo 5y ago

Is it? Plenty of athletes say they don't feel well. The specificity about Biles is that she was the great favorite and abandoned at the last minute in the Olympics without much prior signals that it could happen. Tennis players for instance have talked about pressure, depression, the importance of mental preparation for decades now. Recently Them for instance admitted he had a terrible breakdown after so many efforts to finally win the US open and since then hasn't been able to do much. In cycling Dumoulin also recently had a break from his career because he felt too much pressure and too little joy, them dis a great come back at the Olympics. Ian Thorpe in his time spoke a lot about mental health amongst athletes, difficulties and depression.

rocqua 5y ago
This was significant because it was so last minute. It shows "no matter how far you went, you can always put your mental health first". I think it's also significant because she's womam gymnast. Generally, they have been pushed really hard mentally. With a lot coming out in my country at least about bullying and other (non-sexual) abuse. Mostly this was focused on pushing them to train harder, ignore pain, ignore feelings, and lose more weight. In that context, having a female gymnast stand up and say "no I am not pushing past my limits" is a big deal. It looks like a break with the past of mental abuse. Hopefully putting gymnastics in a much healthier place.
Tarsul 5y ago
For the competition that Biles competes in (all kinds of gymnastics) it is downright dangerous physically to compete without confidence because every small misstep can result in devastating injuries. That's not the case in many other sports.
- Alex3917 5y ago
  We shouldn't have sports where you can increase your chances of winning by increasing your chances of becoming a quadriplegic or getting killed. Whether or not Biles should have pulled out of competition is moot, because her event(s) shouldn't exist in the first place.
  - matwood 5y ago
    Most (all?) sports increase the risk of injury when increasing the chance of winning. Running faster, jumping higher, etc... all increase the chance and severity of injury.
    - Alex3917 5y ago
      You can't increase your odds of winning an Olympic gold medal in running by increasing your chances of becoming a quadriplegic or suffering a traumatic brain injury. However you can for sports like gymnastics, snowboarding, and cycling.

ReptileMan 5y ago

And I admire Kerri Strug. The whole point of the Olympics is to transcend the limitations of your mind and body and not to succumb to them.

rocqua 5y ago
If you can't do that, is the olympic spirit to push anyway and damage yourself? Or is the olympic spirit to be honest with yourself and the rest of the world. I also think that this decision took a lot of bravery for Biles. And I admire her for that.
- krapp 5y ago
  >If you can't do that, is the olympic spirit to push anyway and damage yourself? Traditionally, yes. The Olympic spirit is to be willing to push yourself as hard as necessary, through anything, even to the point of death, to win the gold. Quitting only brings shame and disgrace to you and your country. I agree with what Simone Biles did, and I don't think anyone can judge her - only she knows what her headspace and capabilities were - but it was absolutely against what the Olympic spirit is supposed to be. Olympic competition often serves as a form of neo-eugenic nationalist propaganda (that our nation and its values creates genetically superior people and potential combatants to yours.) Imagine the furor if this were the 1980s and Simone Biles had quit and a Soviet gymnast had won the gold medal. Everyone in the US would be calling her a traitor and a coward.
kenjackson 5y ago
One can admire both. They aren’t in competition with one another.

blindmute 5y ago

Really? I view her as a coward. A hero doesn't run away from the battle because they feel bad. These athletes are meant to be the best of us, representing our countries to the world. Do you want your country to be associated with quitting, mental illness, etc? I'm sure she made the best decision for herself, but that's quite the opposite of heroic. She let down a lot of people. Heroic is fighting through the problems and doing what you need to do despite that adversity, not giving into it and going home.