Given Simone Biles’ superstar status and incredible talent, it’s no surprise she was one of the most anticipated athletes at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time, the 27-year-old Biles added four more medals to her collection (three golds and one silver), completing her remarkable comeback after facing challenges in Tokyo four years ago.
Some may remember the issues she faced at the last Olympics when she developed the “Twisties,” a condition where a gymnast loses the connection between their mind and body.
Biles was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games, and she even admitted she thought her career might be over. However, she managed to return in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics, despite the immense pressure she was under.
Though Biles is often associated with success and near-perfect performances, she isn’t immune to pressure. It takes incredible inner strength to keep delivering when you’re considered the best in the world, especially after going through such a tough time on a global stage.
As she prepared for this year’s Olympics, Biles was understandably allowed to handle the pressure in whatever way worked best for her. Still, some people criticized her for choosing not to eat with other athletes in the Olympic Village, instead preferring the privacy of her own room.
Of course, Biles had a good reason for doing this (not that she needed to explain herself)…
Given how well Simone Biles has performed over the past two weeks, her struggles at the Tokyo Olympics now seem like a distant memory. But not too long ago, it seemed possible that she might never compete again.
Four years ago, during the Tokyo Games, Biles was hit hard by the “Twisties,” a condition that made it impossible for her to safely perform her high-flying and dangerous routines.
“I’m fighting demons right now, but I’m going to do it for you guys,” she recalled telling her teammates at the time. Despite trying to push through, it quickly became clear that she wasn’t in the right condition to continue her routine.
“I thought I was going to be banned from America. They tell you, ‘Don’t come back if it’s not gold,’” Biles later admitted.
In the end, Biles made the wise choice to withdraw from the competition, unsure if she’d ever compete for her country again. She took the time she needed to recover and made a strong comeback, winning four medals in Paris this year.
While Paris gave her the perfect chance to finish her Olympic career on a high note—if this was indeed her last Olympics—her fame also brought its own challenges.
Reports surfaced that athletes were complaining about conditions at the Olympic Village, and Biles shared on TikTok that she stopped eating there because she was constantly approached by people wanting to take pictures with her whenever she sat down.
“Whenever I sat down to eat, my anxiety was so bad that I couldn’t stop shaking. I felt completely overwhelmed,” Biles explained.
To cope, Biles chose to stay in her room and eat food she bought from a grocery store, which led to a lot of opinions online.
One person wrote, “Anxiety is terrible. I suffer from it too. I’m glad she was able to manage it well enough to stay focused and compete in the Olympics.”
Another added, “I don’t blame her. Everything she does is being closely watched and judged.”
However, some people were less understanding of Biles’ situation.
One person said, “She’s stuck up,” while another commented, “[She] doesn’t eat with the peasants lol.”
“That’s a really silly reason,” someone else wrote about her decision.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.