Simone Biles and Adria Biles (Image via Instagram/simonebiles) and Simone Biles at Tokyo Olympics 2020 (Image via Getty)

"It was 5 AM, I woke up and I was like something is wrong"-Simone Biles' sister on feeling something in her sleep during gymnast's twisties incident

Modified Aug 30, 2024 18:18 GMT

American gymnast Simone Biles’ younger sister Adria Biles recently shared her experience on the day of her sister’s twisties incident. The 25-year-old traveled back to memory lane from the Tokyo Olympics 2020, when Simone Biles took a break from her sport due to mental health issues.

Biles, 27, is currently the most decorated American gymnast ever after her terrific run at the Paris Olympics 2024. She bagged three gold medals in the team, all-around, and vault events, respectively. Her winning streak was followed by a silver medal win in floor exercise. Four years before her glorious performances at the French capital, Biles withdrew her name from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, citing that extreme competition pressure had taken a toll on her mental health. Biles experienced twisties, a psychological condition that causes a gymnast to lose air awareness while twisting in the air.

Recently, Simone Biles’s sister Adria Biles appeared on the "Chris Osmond Show" podcast, where she opened up about the day Simone Biles underwent ‘twisties.’ She revealed that none of their family visited Tokyo to be with Biles as it was a COVID year.

Adria Biles said,

"I was sleeping. It was like 5 and had worked at like 7:00 a.m. and she was competing and it was when she did her Vault and like I don't know what happened, but she had the twisties. And I woke up and I was like something is wrong," Adria said (at 8:27).

Adria further shared that Simone Biles called up her family after experiencing twisties.

“She was like 'I want to talk to Mom' and I was like okay and that's when she pulled out. I think it's just it was the weirdest thing and it was hard not being there because I feel like that also kind of played a part in it because I feel like when you don't have like your support system it's hard to, I don't know perform. Of course (I have) not ever been at that level to like say that. I'm not sure what that's like but I know it was hard for me so I can't imagine how that was for her. It's nice to have a support system I'd imagine, it's nice to have anyone. But it's also good to know that you have somebody,” Adria added (at 9:06).

Simone Biles’s participation at this year’s Olympics made her the fourth American female gymnast to appear at three Olympics Games including 2016 and 2020.

Simone Biles on experiencing relief after the Paris Olympics 2024

Biles at Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 10 (Source: Getty)

Simone Biles, who has been a widely celebrated American gymnast, gained the spotlight with her impeccable performances in both the national and international arena. Before the Tokyo Olympics, Biles clinched four gold and a silver medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Naturally, Biles succumbed to the pressure that was on her to maintain her bar in the following Olympics. However, this year, the American gymnast impressed the world with her gold medal-winning performances.

After her grand win, she told Olympics.com in an interview that a huge “weight was off her shoulders.” Biles said,

"A lot of training with Cecile and Laurent (Landi), and a lot of hours with my therapist, making sure all the ducks are in a row so that I can perform as well as I want to. So, after all is said and done, a lot of weight is off my shoulders."

Following her sensational outing at the 2024 Games, Simone Biles took her Olympic medal count to a total of 11 medals.