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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 Olymp

by 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.

by mijamo 5y ago

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.