Simone Biles Puts Her Mental Health Ahead of Everything Else
Whether she competes in another Olympic event or any event for that matter, legendary USA gymnast, Simone Biles, has left a lasting impression on her sport with her era of dominance, but it might be her latest move that ends up defining her the most.
After Biles withdrew from the team all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics, it was speculated that she made her decision because of a physical injury, which certainly would have been disappointing to the 24-year-old face of the sport. But, Biles said she wasn’t hurt physical, but was concerned about her mental health and needed to step away for her own well-being.
“Once I came out here (to compete), I was like, ‘No, mental is not there so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself,’” said Biles after the medal ceremony where the United States claimed a silver medal behind Russia.
In a year where mental health has been in the spotlight because of COVID-19, this decision radiated with millions around the world who deal with mental health issues in silence away from the spotlight. Being in the dark is a dangerous place to be. With her decision, Biles opened a window for people to say, “It’s OK. I have this, and don’t have to hide in fear of being labeled.”
In a story for NTI@Home, I recently spoke out about my own personal battle with mental health. Because I work for a nonprofit organization that recognizes the importance of helping others, in the case, finding Americans with disabilities find jobs, I was free to express my thoughts with any fear of losing my job or being thought of as different. Ultimately, that made my decision an easy one.
Biles has a lot more at stake here. Besides being a once in a generation type of athlete, she is also a powerful commercial endorser, pitching products for top businesses. How people react is also a risk. In the wake of her decision, she not surprisingly received the typical misguided criticism on social media about her not competing or that she was being weak for not pushing through it.
She did just the opposite. She showed strength and, hopefully, gave strength to others to show it’s OK to say you need help.
I know how many people reached out to me to tell me their stories, and what they are going through and to praise me for speaking out. I don’t know how many people I helped, and frankly, one would be enough, but with her worldwide platform, Biles has opportunities to help many more people who are unsure about getting the help they need.
That is why her decision to explain her reason was much more important than winning another gold medal.
(Michael Hardman is the media relations specialist for NTI@Home. A nonprofit organization, NTI@Home helps Americans with disabilities find at-home call-center opportunities with free training and job placement services. You can register for free at www.ntiathome.org.)
“Once I came out here (to compete), I was like, ‘No, mental is not there so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself,’” said Biles after the medal ceremony where the United States claimed a silver medal behind Russia.