"I believe everybody deserves proper health care" - Simone Biles on taking anxiety medication
Simone Biles has had an exemplary career as a gymnast so far, and a decade after her first World Championships gold, the American continues to dominate the sport.
However, the going hasn't always been easy for Biles. She was forced to withdraw from the individual all-around final of the Tokyo Olympics due to the common gymnastics occurrence of "the twisties" where the athlete feels lost in the air, making the moves dangerous.
Simone Biles recently opened up about her struggles with her mental health at the Global Wellness Summit in Miami. At the event, she was honored with the Debra Simon Award for Furthering Mental Health Wellness.
In her acceptance speech, Biles detailed how therapy is helping her in recovery and how she believes everybody should get the care they need.
"I’m currently in therapy, seeing a therapist every Thursday for about 100 minutes, and that helps me so much to stay in the moment," she said (via The Messenger). "I’m also a big advocate for medication. I take anxiety medicine, just because I feel that if you need an inhaler, you get an inhaler. I believe everybody deserves proper health care."
Simone Biles also said that her experience in Tokyo encouraged her to join the conversation about mental health.
"After what happened in Tokyo, I was able to join that conversation and kind of help people, teach people that it’s OK to not be OK,” she added. “But I think the hardest thing after COVID was a lot of people realized that maybe they need to get help and not just help, but that you deserve that help."
Simone Biles' incredible comeback
After her decision to not compete in Tokyo, many doubted Simone Biles' ability to make a successful comeback to competitive gymnastics.
The American proved her doubters wrong when she dominated the 2023 US Classics. A little over a month later, the 26-year-old showed her prowess on the international stage, walking away with four medals at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, three of which were gold. This took her combined total of Olympic and World Championships medals to 34, making her the most successful gymnast in the history of the sport.
While in Antwerp, Simone Biles had a fifth skill named after her. The Biles II on the vault consists of the Yurchenko double pike and is one of the most difficult vaults to perform.
Expressing her emotions over her triumph in Belgium, Biles wrote on Instagram:
"World Championships!!! Whew, Antwerp will always hold a special place in my heart. The first time I got a skill named after me was in this arena and 10 years later I got my fifth skill named. I’m speechless. I’m honored. I’m excited and I’m blessed! Doing it for the little girl who fell in love with the sport. Thank you format the bottom of my heart for all the and support."
As of now, the American has her target set on the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she is one of the favorites to finish on the podium.