Simone Biles at 24-years-old has already won 4 Olympic gold medals and 19 world championship gold medals. She is considered by many to be the greatest gymnast of all time and many, if not everyone, expected her to continue her domination in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. However, in one of the biggest surprises of the event, the star gymnast withdrew from the floor exercise, vault, and the uneven bars. Team USA Gymnastics issued statements only saying that Biles had withdrawn from the events but later, in another statement, stated that the gymnast was withdrawing to focus on her mental health.
The actions taken by Simone Biles this past week have put the issue of mental health at the forefront of the nation’s mind. It’s an issue which sadly, is not often talked about and not often understood. Nowhere more is this highlighted by the people (while seemingly few and far between), who have chosen to condemn the gymnast for withdrawing. Fortunately, the issue of mental health awareness is slowly becoming more prominent as high-profile celebrities and athletes have taken action to bring awareness to it. Athletes such as Kevin Love, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, and many more are taking what used to be considered taboo, and spreading more awareness to it. Some have even gone as far as to start charities and promote movements to spread knowledge about the issue.
In a tweet that can be applied to much more than just gymnastics, Biles stated, “the outpouring love & support I’ve received has made me realize I’m more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed before.” Hopefully, as time goes on, people will become more and more comfortable opening up about mental health and realize, like Biles, that they are much more than their accomplishments.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.
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