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"Gymnastics was everything to me"- Simone Biles shares her new outlook on the sport, doesn't put 'life on hold anymore'
Simone Biles has shared that her outlook towards gymnastics has changed over the years. The 27-year-old has qualified for the Paris Olympics, but her 2020 Tokyo Olympic stint was marred by 'twisties', which, she feels, eventually made her a better person and gymnast.
Biles has amassed a total of 37 medals across the Olympics and World Championships. She boasts seven Olympic medals, out of which four are gold. Her extraordinary prowess has earned her the title of the most decorated gymnast in history.
Biles has been striving to maintain her position at the top since a very young age, missing out on the life girls her age enjoyed. But she was not bothered by it since her life revolved around gymnastics. After withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics, she realized the importance of prioritizing her mental health and life beyond gymnastics.
In an interview, Simone Biles talked about having a different outlook now, while keeping gymnastics as a priority.
"Gymnastics was everything to me. And it still is, but I just have a different outlook on it. Gymnastics is something that I do, but this is who I am outside of the sport. Rather than making it a whole blob," she shared. (via USA Today)
She added:
"I still make gymnastics a priority. I get my work done and then say, 'OK, I have a wedding to go to because I know how important this teammate is to Jonathan. We can’t put life on hold or pause anymore."
Simone Biles' legacy is not just as the greatest gymnast but also as a mental health advocate. She compelled athletes to think beyond their sport and voice their mental health troubles since they are subjected to intense pressure from a very young age.
"I hope young women take away that it's okay to not be okay. You can speak up for what you believe, and you can do things alone. It's okay to kind of be shot down. Sometimes, it's how you get up and pick yourself back up and that women are strong alone," she said (via Olympics.com).
Simone Biles was lauded by Aly Raisman for balancing professional and personal life
Aly Raisman was part of the 'Famous Five', the women's gymnastics team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Since then, she has been appreciative of Simone Biles' way of switching gymnastics off as soon as she steps out of the gym, something Raisman herself couldn't.
"When she leaves the gym, her mind is where she is. Most gymnasts are perfectionists, and for me it was really hard to turn that Type-A perfection off outside the gym. She has the ability to be detail oriented but still be goofy and silly and let things go. I wish I’d had more of that," Raisman said about Biles.
Even Joscelyn Roberson, who trains with the three-time Olympian at WCC and is heading with her to the Olympics, appreciated her efforts outside the gym.
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