"You cannot stick me in front of a crowd and say 'do everything she's doing'" - Simone Biles on being called a mental health advocate
America's beloved gymnast Simone Biles recently expressed her dissent on being placed in the spotlight as a mental health advocate.
Biles withdrew from competing in the all-around final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, prioritizing her mental health. The American squad finished second behind ROC. She decided to return to gymnastics after two years while having dinner with coach Cecile Landi at a Mexican restaurant.
She secured a silver medal along with the team and a bronze medal in the balance beam event in Tokyo. Her withdrawal from the most prestigious sports event drew criticism. While her fans stood by her, a few criticized her for potentially reducing the medal count of the nation. In a conversation with Vanity Fair, she opened up on the criticism she faced.
“Of course, you have all the a***oles that are like, ‘You’re a quitter,’ ” said Biles. “And they just ran with that."
Amid the criticism, a few labeled her as a mental health advocate, a title she unexpectedly distanced from.
“Tried to put me on this pedestal as a mental health advocate,” the seven-time Olympic medalist said. “I was not okay with that. If I can be a lending hand and help people, then I’ll be open, honest, and vulnerable, but you cannot stick me in front of a crowd and say, ‘Do everything she’s doing.’”
"We had margaritas, and that was it," coach Cecile Landi recollects Simone Biles deciding to make a comeback
Simone Biles decided to make her return to elite gymnastics over a dinner with her coach Cecile Landi.
Biles started training under Cecile Landi and Laurent Landi after her mother interviewed the couple, finding their coaching style to be a perfect fit for the American gymnast. The coaching couple supported Biles when she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics and also when she stepped back into the arena.
During an interview with NBC, Cecile recollected Simone Biles' decision to come back.
"She told me she really wanted to give herself a chance to do it,” Landi said. “We had margaritas, and that was it.”
Biles made her return at the US Gymnastics Championships in California, in August 2023, clinching her eighth national title
"We wouldn’t be here if we had seen any hesitations. She really wants it for herself," the Olympian-turned coach said.